In the Perfect World
by Dashed
Summary: Natsuki finds herself in the perfect world where the pairings are this ChieAoi HarukaYukino MaiTate and ShizuruReito. Will she ever get back to her world and ShizNat or does she even want that?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: don't own Mai HiME wished i owned Haruka.

A/N: Some people might have a little problem with what I have done with the characters so I invite them to email me about it rather than flame me. I don't expect this story to offend anyone but I know how crazy us HiME fans can get if our OTPs are messed with.

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She was riding along the cliff tops over looking the sea. The rain pelted down in hard sheets each drop becoming a mini attack which hit with vicious accuracy on her leather covered frame. Her motorcycle gloves slipped on the handle bars and her bike roared as it spead up the winding path. She cared enough about her self preservation to steady the bike as the road twisted sharply, she managed to avoid both the railings and cliff walls to continue on at her break neck speed.

At this very moment in time Natsuki didn't really care if she lived or not. It had all been a lie.

_"I'm leaving tonight...for Kyoto."_

_"But you said you would stay."_

_"I didn't think Natsuki would make it so hard to do so."_

_"So this is my fault? Your leaving me because of me?!"_

_"I wasn't aware I had a Natsuki to leave."_

It wasn't fair. Shizuru had promised to wait for her, she knew how uncomfortable she was with emotional matters she should have did as she promised! She tossed her head angrily the water on the visor of the helmet swerved to the left compromising her sight even more.

_"You know how I feel..."_

_"No I have no idea how Natsuki feels!" for the first time she heard the Kyoto accent sound angry. The look Shizuru was giving her was of extreme frustration, "Natsuki bounces back and forth between love and shame and I-" it took visible effort on Shizuru's part to regain control of her voice. Soon the pleasant vacant smile was back in place "its only for a few months. I shall visit as often as time allows."_

_The suitcase closed with a final click. Shizuru pick up the case and the door closed with an air of finality. And Natsuki let her._

She wasn't going to let it end this way. She was going to the airport to...she didn't know if she wanted to slap the other girl for leaving or kiss her to make her stay. She thought of kissing Shizuru, she hadn't thought of anything else since the festival. Still her stomach churned with desire but what ever desire there was fear drowned it out.

So she had issues couldn't Shizuru understand that?

She sped up even more her bike pushing the engine to its limits. There was a car up ahead and unwilling to slow down she moved into the other lane. It was unfortunate that at that same time an oil truck was eating up road trying to make it to its appointed stop ahead of schedule so that Kenji, the driver, Kenji, could get out of this god awful rain he had been driving in for six hours straight. He just wanted a nice, warm, meal and to crawl into a bed that wasn't the camper cot in the back of his big-rig truck. Neither Natsuki or Kenji got what they wanted as the crazed motorcyclist came from no where directly ahead of him. Kenji let out a startled yell and pulled hard on the steering wheel in attempt to avoid the biker.

The giant truck swerved to the left straight into the car that Natsuki had been trying to over take. The truck went down like a huge leviathan. The oil chamber exploded all over the road and sparks cause by the frantic swerving of the vehicles proved at the incendiary needed for the road to roar up in flames. Natsuki had had enough time to pull her bike into the sharpest turn ever attempted just as the truck crashed into the car. The resulting cascade of oil soaked the road turning Natsuki's dare devil swerve into a very dangerous skid towards the railings of the road. The truck being so long managed to not only take up the road but break the railings and dangle half off the edge of the cliff. It hung their precariously as Kenji in the cab of the truck sat afraid to move.

Izzy Nakamura had taken his wife and two sons on a spontaneous holiday. His wife had always wanted him to be more daring. They had a lovely time shopping and touring the city when on their way back the first drop of rain had hit. And it hit with a vengeance, it was like the heavens were back paying them all the rain they had missed during the week. The rain and the truck crashing into the tail end of there car had been the only real sour point of the journey.

Mr Nakamura was a smart man, more than that, he was a smart physics teacher. He took in the trucks positioning and knew straight away that it had managed to land exactly on its axis and one small push, like his car door hitting it as it opened, would send the truck careening over the cliff into the abyss. The truck driver, Kenji, must have known this too because he pleaded with his eyes for the other man to stay where he was. But all Mr Nakamura could hear was the screams of his son's in the back of the car and all he could see was his wife's unconscious form beside him and the flames that were roaring to meet him. He flung his car door open to get to his crying children. The door impacted with the trucks cab with a dull thunk the force of the collision echoed all the way down the back of the metal beast and giving gravity enough sway to claim the truck as its own. The trucks side scratched along the concrete of the road causing further sparks to dance in the air and with an ear piercing screech the massive leviathan went over the edge taking with it the biker who had been caught in the trucks pull.


	2. Chapter 2

The theme tune to Sailor Moon shrieked angrily in the room.

"...wha...?" Natsuki struggled up to sit on her bed. Like always the covers were tangled about her, she often got into fights with the things and they often won. She dazedly picked up the phone the clock on it flashing 7.00 at her.

"Hello?" or that was what she meant to say but it seemed her series of grunts was understood anyway. She was not a morning person.

"Good morning, my Natsuki," the tinkling Kyoto voice laughed at her down the phone. Shizuru always insisted on ringing her to wake her up. It was either than or buy her a new alarm clock every morning. "I trust you slept well after last nights festivities."

"Shizuru!" she leaned forward gripping the phone, trying to hold onto the girl for as long as possible.

"Ara how I love it when Natsuki says my name," the voice continued on oblivious to the mood of the other girl "I want you in school today. There's someone I would like you to meet at lunch and don't worry Mai and myself haven't cooked up another match making session." There was a click as the other woman hung up.

"Shizuru!" she yelled down the phone panicked "Shizuru!" what was going on why was Shizuru not in Kyoto? Why she was not trapped under a truck by some cliff side? She knew it wasn't a dream because she never had that good of an imagination.

She dove around in her covers hunting for the remote to the TV. When she found it eventually she turned it on to the news channel thinking there must be something about the accident on. The channel 4 news girl came into view. It was obvious the only reasons she was hired was because she was pretty and had an incredible burst size.

"There's nothing but rain all week! Rain rain rain rain rain!" she smiled dazedly at the camera "and now back to you Jinta-san!"

Jinta the news anchor shuffled his notes and adjusted his glasses "top stories this morning; A man accused of murder has been let go today with police apologies as it turns out it was all a coincidence and the so called murder victims were actually on vacation. The heir to the Suzushiro company has declined his father's invitation to join the business and instead has decided to pursue a career in policing, more to come on this story as it dev-" she switched the TV angrily, she knew she hadn't hallucinated the accident it should have made the news but instead those media filler stories were taking up the spot light.

She got dressed in her uniform. She would check with her contacts as soon as she got back from school. She had to find out if anything else was out of place, the more she knew the better.

She pulled up in front of the school with her bike that showed absolutely no signs of the previous night. It was as clean and oiled as she always kept it. The handle bars and seat was just as worn as she left them and the bike showed no signs of tampering.

She walked past a bench where a couple sat kissing only to walk back again for another look "Chie? Aoi?"

Said girls pulled away from each other and looked up at her questioningly. Aoi was a little annoyed and it showed but calmed down when Chie put her arm around her shoulder "hey Natsuki you made it in today," the dark hair girl checked her watch "you even made it in early, what happened did Shizuru drag you out of bed?"

She stared in disbelief at the two girls that showed no embarrassment at being caught kissing. Mai had always told her that she thought those two would make a cute couple but she didn't really think they actually were a couple.

"How long have you two been together?" she could keep the shock from her voice.

"We've been together..." Chie looked up at the sky and she could see the mental calculation going on "...nearly two years now."

"But we haven't really been that open about it until Chie proposed!" Aoi tackled Chie making them fall onto the pavement. There was a quick flash of gold on Aoi's hand which she took to be the engagement ring. She quickly left as Aoi kissed a laughing Chie quite heatedly.

She could feel her face flush in embarrassment. She hadn't known Chie and Aoi were a couple but she didn't really know them that well so she couldn't put the cause of their strange behaviour down with the same mystery that caused her night to be erased.

She hurried to her history class where Mai was. She threw open the door harder than she intended causing her to be introduced to the class with a loud bang. Class hadn't started yet and the only a few students where there no one she knew though.

"Now that Kuga-san has made her prescience known perhaps she would like to stop blocking the door?" her head turned sharply at the sound of Midori. The unofficial leader of the ex-hime rangers Stood glaring behind her when she was supposed to be in the far corners of the world protecting who knows what with some professor that was as nutty as she was.

"Midori what are you doing here?!" she turned to face the older woman who was still glaring at her.

"Its Sugiura-sensie to you Kuga and if you stop blocking the door I'll be taking your history class," she pushed past Natsuki and strolled towards her desk "now take your seats everyone the bells just about to ring."

She took her seat and waited for the class to begin. Chie and Aoi came in arms around each other only to reluctantly separate and go to their seats. She waited for Mai to come but by the time class was over she hadn't shown.

"Kuga stay behind," Midori waited for everyone to leave before turning to the other girl "Natsuki what's up you seem to be confused?"

She stared at the woman divided about telling her what happened. But what could she say? This isn't real, you're not supposed to be here and I'm supposed to be at the bottom of some cliff while Shizuru flies of into the sun set? No she needed more evidence, proof that she wasn't loosing her mind.

"I'm not feeling so good," she held her stomach and tried to look sick. Her expression worked a little to well as Midori seemed to believe it, she wondered if she should be offended?

"Well after the party last night I don't blame you, you should have Youko check you out though" Midori slapped her on the back and before she had time to ask about the party she had supposedly gone to her teacher was half way down the corridor. Instead of going to the rest of her classes she went to the Student Council room to look on Yukino's laptop. She still remembered the password from when Shizuru was the president. She searched for as much information as she could about alternate universes and parallel dimensions. She couldn't think of anything else, maybe when she went over the cliff she somehow slipped into a different world.

She snorted as she closed down the laptop now she was sounding like Shizuru, who was a closeted trekkie fan. The glamorous Kyoto woman secretly loved anything sci-fi especially the American shows and had kept her up long into the night with various B movie marathons and sub par sci-fi shows. Her avid love for the genre was the only thing that Natsuki could tease her with as she tended to have no defence against a long rant about how bad most of the shows were. Thinking of Shizuru she checked her watch, good it was lunch time. Shizuru wanted her to meet some one. She got up to walk to the canteen she saw Mai and Shiho sitting together sharing a magazine.

"Mai!" she called and the other girl waved back enthusiastically "why weren't you in class?"

"Natsuki, you won't believe what happened!" Mai flashed her left hand at her and there on her third finger an engagement ring gleamed brightly in the afternoon sunshine "Yuuichi proposed to me last night!"

"That's why she wasn't in class. We've been going over bridal magazines!" Shiho squealed and hugged Mai "you're going to be my onee-sama!" Mai squealed too and both girls clasped at each other bouncing up and down in their seats.

She defiantly knew she was in another dimension if Shiho was cheering Mai and Yuuichi on. There was just something so wrong about that. She took a seat at the table warily hoping someone would save her from the bubble of enthusiasm her best friend had become. Her prayers were answered somewhat in the shape of Chie and Aoi arriving. Chie was carrying Aoi's lunch tray as well as her own she sat them down at the table taking the seat next to Natsuki.

"So the excitement hasn't worn of yet huh?" Chie said looking amused at Mai and Shiho's behaviour. Natsuki wasn't surprised to find that Chie knew exactly what was going on.

"What are they so happy about?" asked Aoi.

"Yuuichi and I are getting married!" Mai squeal from the mass that was ShihoMai. Aoi on discovering this bopped Chie on the head for not telling her the news and joined in so the mass now became ShihoMaiAoi, all were communicating in that high pitched sequel only teenage girls can achieve.

"I didn't tell her cause I thought this would be more fun" Chie grinned at her and she had the horrible feeling that her face was frozen in an expression of horror.

"What's going on here, then?" Yukino had arrived with her own tray.

"Yukino!" Natsuki dove at the other girl desperate for some type of sanity "please don't tell me you're engaged as well!"

Yukino blushed and answered "no Haruka and I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Oooh haven't gotten that far _yet_?" Chie leered at the shy girl "how far have you actually got?"

She was some what taken back by Yukino's word because she would never have pictured the shy girl with that loud language murder. Yukino blushed madly at Chie's words and took the seat furthest from her.

"Now, Now Chie-san teasing poor Yukino-san is very unfair" everyone turned at the table at the arrival of Shizuru who crept up beside them during the commotion. She placed a slim hand on Natsuki's shoulder "you should instead tease Natsuki she turns the most delightful shades of red."

"Shizuru..." her voice was a lot more breathless than she would like but she wanted to throw her arms around the other girl and never let go. Instead she grasped her hand that was on her shoulder and smiled bright enough that Shizuru looked startled for a moment. It was only for a moment though and the pleasantly polite smile was back.

"Is Haruka with you Fujino-san?" Yukino asked trying to hide her eagerness.

"I left him to talk to Reito about boy things" Shizuru rolled her eyes teasingly. Yukino thanked her before hurrying of.

"If you would excuse us I have someone I want to introduce you to Natsuki" Shizuru tugged lightly on her shoulder and she rose to follow the other girl. She was just glad to be near her after last night where she thought Shizuru was walking out of her life forever.

She did love Shizuru in her own way. She wanted to be near her always and missed her when she wasn't. She sat up late into the night watching bad 90s sci-fi shows just to see her smile and had eight different types of tea in her apartment even though she much preferred coffee. She might not kiss or grope the other woman like she was so fond of doing to her but she did love her, more than she could remember loving anyone else.

But as they walked down the corridors strangely devoid of other students she began to worry. Since everyone in this world seemed to be engaged Shizuru wasn't leading her somewhere so she could ask _that _question was she? She did love Shizuru but she wasn't ready to marry her. They hadn't even gone on an official date yet, though now that she thought about it they did seem to do many things couples did.

"Natsuki I have a question to ask you" Shizuru stopped walking and turned towards her. Was Shizuru actually going to propose to her in a corridor? to be honest she was a little disappointed she would have expected her to propose in a more grand location full of flowers and chocolate but she supposed that this made turning her down a lot more easier. "Natsuki what-"

"-I'm sorry Shizuru but I wont marry you!" she said quickly trying to spare her friend the embarrassment. Her face was flaming red and she couldn't meet the other girl's eyes "I do care about you and I don't want you to leave for Kyoto but..." she trailed of as Shizuru shoulder started to shake. "Shizuru..." she reached forward thinking she had made the other girl cry. She drew her hand back startled when she saw Shizuru's face. The other girl was indeed crying but the wide smile on her face and helpless laughter did annoy her a bit.

"What's so funny?" here she was trying to be sensitive and Shizuru starts laughing at her!

"My My Natsuki I didn't know your true designs" her hand fluttered to her heart "alas my heart shall have to make due without being your beloved wife" she wiped at her tears with a handkerchief smiling brightly at Natsuki who was torn between embarrassment and sullen anger.

"I'm glad to hear that Natsuki turned you down Shizuru" Reito stepped out from the classroom they had paused by "if you have no objections I would love to take her place." he held out his hand which she took lacing their fingers. Natsuki stared dumbly at them.

"I have no objections," she looked at him in a way that made her want to punch the former vice president. Natsuki somehow knew with a certain horror what was coming next. "I know you've already met Reito but I would like to introduce him to you as my partner."

She remembered hearing the rumours at school that the president and vice president of the student council were seeing each other. She remembered being huffy and avoiding Shizuru until the older girl finally managed to track her down.

_"What has Natsuki making such an unbecoming face?"_

_"Nothing" she turned away "shouldn't you be with Reito?"_

_"Ara so that why my Natsuki is so unpleasant today," she was hugged from behind quite forcefully "don't worry Natsuki your the only one I want to be with." _

She said it teasingly whispering in her ear and at the time she never understood the full meaning of those words only that they somehow made her feel better.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru's brow furrowed as she reached to touch her best friend who looked as if someone ran over her puppy "it's not that big of a shock is it?"

She knocked Shizuru's hand away from her and took of running down the corridor. Half blinded by tears she didn't notice who it was she knocked into. She ricochet of him into someone else but she ran on uncaring of the chaos she had caused.

"Kuga, no running in the halls!" the voice of the boy sounded a lot like Suzushiro Haruka.

"Goddamnit Kuga! Watch where your going!" Nao glared at the retreating girls back before stooping to pick up her cell phone that she dropped as Natsuki barrelled by. "Hello? Mum are you still there? Yeah some idiot knocked into me. No, I'm fine."

This place was all wrong! Shizuru shouldn't be with Reito. She should be with- she shoved that thought away unwilling to continue it. She had to get back to her own world if nothing else Shizuru and Reito had confirmed to her that this wasn't her place. Her Shizuru would never be in love with Reito.

She had to get back.


	3. Chapter 3

The last time she dialled this number she thought that would be it. After the HiME festival and finding out about her mother she thought she would no longer have a use for Yamada. She dialled the numbers she memorised long ago because she thought it unwise to have such concrete ties to the underworld on her phone.

"Pick up, pick up..." She got nothing but the dial tone furiously she threw the phone on her bed. She didn't know what to do after Shizuru's revelation, there was only so far you could run blindly until you had to stop and make a plan. To make a plan you had to have information and all her past informers weren't picking up their phones.

She would have to go back into those seedy bars again. Despite the dire situation she couldn't help but smile because she had missed those dank bars with their Smokey atmosphere and how they didn't mind serving alcohol to obvious minors. She had acquired a taste for it, she felt comforted in the pit of obscurity where the only way you could bring notice to yourself was if you ran out of money, even her clad in full leather didn't get more than a second glace. Right now she needed all the comfort she could get.

She threw on her biker clothes and marched out the door. The feeling of purpose she felt stopped her thinking of Shizuru and Reito which she was glad of.

XxXx

Youko was arranging the medical supplies in her small cupboard. It had been a slow week. Not a single person had been injured not even those sports freaks from the after school clubs. While she was thankful for this as a doctor she couldn't help be bored out of her mind with nothing to do. Hence the organisation of her medical cupboard despite it not being the apocalypse or end of year which was normally when the small cupboard was cleared.

Really was it to much to ask for a broken arm or even a skinned knee?

She was in no way bored enough to try and organise the bigger store cupboard just outside the door. Maybe if next week was just as slow or when hell froze over she would think about actually cleaning it. Two well muscled arms snaked there way around her waist and two soft breast where pushed against her back.

"I missed you, Youko," Midori's breathed into the doctor's shell like ear "I've been thinking about you all day."

"Oh, really? I thought you would have gotten enough of me at the party" and after. They had all celebrated Midori's return home with a party which like most things Midori, and herself she added ruefully, were involved in turned into a giant drinking fest. The younger girls didn't last as long as she and Midori so by the end of the night it was only the two of them left. They argued then fought, as well as two extremely drunk people could, over the last bottle of beer. The scuffle had led onto something completely different when Midori had kissed her. They spent the entire night partying in a new way.

"I could never get enough of you" she nibbled at the other woman's ear since it was so close to hand or mouth in this case. Youko moaned and arched into the contact "Midori..." her voice was weak with want. She had been in love with Midori since she was in college so to finally have the other girl was a dream come true. She reached behind her to Midori's neck to pull her closer. The history teacher began place small kisses on the doctor's neck nibbling at the bits of skin she found that tasted delicious. She would nibble almost all of the other woman's neck at this rate.

"Oh I totally forgot did Natsuki come by here?" Midori asked Youko stepping away so the other woman could turn and face her.

"Midori..." she groaned and slapped the other woman on the arm "you totally ruined the mood!"

"Hehe, I suppose I did huh?" Midori rubbed the back of her neck chagrined.

The look was so helplessly and utterly Midori that Youko couldn't help but smile and forgive her ruining their attempt at a tryst. All she wanted to do was hold the other woman and bury her face in her neck taking in the scent of Sugiura Midori and relish the feeling of being loved by the woman she had always thought unattainable.

"So? Did she?"

"No, I haven't seen Natsuki since she passed out at the party."

"She must really be feeling the after affects. She was really out of it today." Midori frown at the floor. The concerned teacher look really suited her.

Youko turned back to her cupboard she was trying to think of a way to get the other woman to help her clean it because she didn't want her to leave and she really hated doing this. It was obvious that their tryst wouldn't resume.

"Hey what do you think your doing?" strong hands grabbed her firmly around the waist Youko had enough time to gasp as Midori's mouth covered hers.

"Lock the door" she panted as they broke apart for air.

"In the mood to play Doctor are we?" Midori leered "well, I do need a physical."

Youko rolled her eyes and kissed Midori to spare herself of having to listen to anymore of the woman's bad lines.

XxXx

Chie stood nervously in front of the wooden door. The door itself was not intimidating. It was a pleasant shade of brown or as pleasant as the colour brown could be anyway. The paint was a bit faded but obviously cared for and in the centre of the door was a stained glass widow of a blue rose. She had always thought that that flower was very pretty and it had become 'their' flower. The real reason she was nervous standing in front of this otherwise pleasant door was because this was the door of the Senous.

As a child she had hurriedly run past the iron gate and knocked frantically on this door eager to get inside and tell Aoi that Mr Zaki had cheated on his wife with Mrs Aone her mothers hair dresser or that she had been accepted into Fuka academy and she would never guess what the American kid Timmy Alson had done to his poor dog. The countless things that as a child she thought had colossal importance which had to be told to Aoi right now or sooner else the world would end.

And yet here she was standing outside the probably unlocked door, as the Senous were a very trusting couple, unwilling to knock and share with the residents inside the most important news of her life because tonight Aoi had decided to tell her parents that she and Chie were a couple. The last time she had walked in that door she was Chie-chan Aoi's best friend and Mr Senous sports buddy now if she walked through that door she would be Chie, Aoi's lover and Mr Senous punching bag because no one and he means absolutely no one, touches his little girl.

Had she mentioned that Mr Senous was a very big man? His muscles had muscles. He loved karate and in his younger days competed at a global level. His favourite film was Rocky anynumberatall, because he said he had an experience just like Rocky did when he fought Apollo and won. He absolutely adored his only daughter Aoi going so far as to make it impossible for her to have male acquaintances let alone friends. Too bad for him that his daughter was as interested in males as he himself was and in love with the only person that he allowed into her bedroom when they were younger.

Chie was Aoi's only friend because despite how pleasant Aoi was no one wanted to be near the big bear of a man that was Mr Senous. Chie for unknown reasons had somehow managed to win this mans approval and permission to be within a one meter radius to Aoi at any given time.

Now Aoi was in there telling this man that she had not only abused his trust but also his daughter, very thoroughly, every night, for almost two years. She was actually going to have a panic attack. She could feel her breath become shorter and her head was dizzy. Was it just her or was it very hot outside?

There was raised voices from inside the house that let her know that more than one male was present inside the house. Oh God, she hadn't even gotten to panic about Aoi's brothers! She was so worried about Mr Senous killing her she never thought about the Senous brothers that would undoubtedly help hide her body and provide an alibi.

Mr Senous was very protective of his little girl and made sure that all _six _of Aoi's _older _brothers were the same. Six older brothers, the youngest, Kane, were 23 and currently ranked no9 in the world shotokan karate championships. The two oldest brothers were twins married and running their own private body building gym. The third oldest, Izume, was a well built banker that hated her because she had once spilt her juice on his leather seats when she was nine. Kenji and Tanki, who weren't twins but should have been, were police officers who would be able to give Mr Senous tips on how to not only hide her body but clear away all forensic evidence. All older brothers who thorough school terrorised anyone that so much as raised their voice to the youngest Senous child.

The moment she knocked on that door was the moment she committed suicide because judging by the mired of parked cars on the other side of the gate the whole Senous clan was here for their monthly family dinner. They had decided for Aoi to tell her parents about them on her own, it was safer that way. When they had all calmed down she was to come and meet the as Aoi's girlfriend.

She could just see Mr Senous now.

"I trusted you, Chie. I let you into my house and my daughters room and this is how you repay me by groping her in the basement while my wife and I were eating cake?" even though she knew logically he would have no way of knowing what she did to Aoi on the ping pong table on his 55th birthday. She had no doubt that he would know about it and every other time she had touched Aoi. He just would, he was scary like that.

"Can we get on with this please? I have a meeting tomorrow," Izume would glare at her while tightening the ropes around her as the twins took it in turns to throw gasoline over her.

"I'm so disappointed in you Chie," Mr Senous would speak softly to her as he lit the match not only scaring her but making her feel ashamed for taking advantage of his daughter. While in the background Tanki and Kenji would be disposing of the unmarked car they used to drive her into the woods. She would try to look pleadingly at Mr Senous but couldn't because her eyes would obviously be swollen shut by the beating Kane had given her before hand.

Just as she was about to turn and leave the door opened and Aoi stood there in a lovely white dress with a green belt and her hair tied back. "Chie?"

"Aoi your father doesn't have any matches does he?!" she grabbed her girlfriends shoulders tightly her voice panicked and eyes wild.

"Chie what's gotten into you?" Aoi looked confused and reached out to take her fiancées hand.

"No!" Chie quickly slapped Aoi's hand away "what if your father sees?!" they held hands in the past and shared little touches in front of Mr Senous before but that was when she was protected by Mr Senous belief that she and Aoi were 'just friends'. Though they hadn't been 'just friends' for years.

"I already told daddy about us," Aoi moved quickly to support Chie who looked like she was about to faint. "Chie! Are you okay?"

"He knows?" her voice was barely above a whisper, all her avenue of escape where gone because even if she ran away now and didn't go into the house Mr Senous knew. He would come after her no matter where she hid.

"Yeah mummy saw the ring earlier and I had to tell them," she adjusted her girl's weight. Chie was resting most of it on her seemingly unable to support herself. "They want to see you but if you're not up to it we can always do it later."

Not up to it?! Of course she wasn't up to it! Who was really up to facing their own death?! "No, no that's fine." If she looked sick enough maybe he would let her go with only a few broken ribs.

She pushed away from Aoi despite desperately wanting to cling onto the other girl. Remember you love Aoi and are going to spend the rest of your (probably extremely short) life with her. Aoi took her by the hand and led her into the parlour where the whole family liked to sit together and talk about what was happening in their lives so far and the best way to dispose of Chie's body once she gets here or at least that's what she imagined they talked about.

All talking stopped when they entered. Chie was very aware of their joined hands and wanted to pull hers as far away from Aoi as possible. She felt like a lamb for the slaughter as somehow in the short walk from the door to the parlour Aoi had managed to push her in front like a sacrifice. Mr Senous rose from sitting on the settee with his very short wife and stood facing her. Every well muscled man in the room stood behind him at attention. She scanned the room there where three other women here aside from Aoi and herself. Good the woman would help pull the men off her...unless they joined in.

Mr Senous had grown a beard since she last saw him. It was still a deep brown despite being over half a centaury; it was unruly and uncombed and give the bear of a man an even wilder look. She thought he couldn't get an more intimidating standing there arms crossed with six men just as tall and broad as he was behind him, but no, the facial hair had given him an air of crazy been-alone-in-the-forest-and-ready-to-kick-some-ass-namely-yours threat to him as well.

"H-Hello everybody" her voice quivered and flat out refused to work after that. Mr Senous arm, as thick as she was, shot out and she flinched. He grabbed her and crushed her to his broad chest "Chie!" he rumbled in what she dared to think of as a non threatening tone. Suddenly she was being attacked by well meaning but rather hard pats on the back.

"So your the one Aoi's been blushing over!"

"Welcome to the family Chie!"

"I always liked you!"

"Did it have to be this klutz?"

"Good thing she's not a boy!"

"Yeah, it's not as if two girls can really do anything!"

She had been passed around from brother to brother ending up at Mrs Senous feet after one to many happy slaps. She had the feeling that they were harder than normal reminding what would happen if she didn't treat Aoi like the princess she was.

"I think my husbands glad that no man will ever touch Aoi," Mrs Senous, a woman who was small and always smiling reached down to help her up onto her knees. She had always like this woman who was less scary than her husband but ran this house with an unquestioned iron fist "lets not enlighten him as to what two teenage girls can actually get up two for the time being hhmm?" the woman smiled down at her hard. Their was a dangerous glitter in her smiling eyes and Chie had the distinct impression of being threatened. She nodded hurriedly and jumped up wanting to get back to the safety of Aoi's side.

"Lets all go into the back and celebrate!" Mr Senous clapped a hand firmly on her shoulder as the whooping Senous boys ran into the back yard to set up chairs and other things they would need to celebrate in Senous style. Eventually she was all alone with the man as Aoi was distracted by one of the twin's wives with wedding talks. As the wife glanced back at her she felt that she had just fallen into an elaborate trap.

"When I first held Aoi in my arms at the hospital I made a promise" Mr Senous stared intently into her eyes "do you know what that promise was Chie?"

She shook her head afraid to speak.

"I promised that I would keep this precious little girl safe," the hand on her shoulder tightened painfully "your not going to make me break my promise are you Chie?" the menace in his voice was enough to make her shake her head despite not taking in what he said. Though she would never willingly hurt Aoi she would have at that moment agreed to just about anything that Mr Senous wanted. "Good, then let's go to the party." He smiled at her like a bear might smile at a cornered animal.

"Oh, one more thing" he put his massive arm around her shoulder "I wasn't at all pleased when I found out you had asked Aoi to marry you without getting my permission, in future if you so much as want to smile at her you ask me, got it?" again she nodded.

Aoi had better be happy with an unconsummated marriage because there was no way she was asking this man's permission to do _that _with his daughter.

XxXx

"So how's your father taking your decision?" Yukino asked.

"You mean the decision for his only son drop out of college and join the academy? Not so good." Haruka cut his stake into tiny pieces before taking one of the small squares and putting it in his mouth.

"I think it's wonderful. You're following your dreams" Yukino smiled and reached out to place her hand over her boyfriends. "You always talked about being a police officer when we were kids, that or a super hero" her eye sparkled when she smiled at him. Her eyes always sparkled when she was with him he noticed.

He smiled and laced their fingers together continuing to eat with one hand "wonderful doesn't pay the bills."

"So he actually cut you of then?" Yukino frowned; Haruka's father had always been cold and distant. He never paid attention to the son that had always wanted his approval.

"Yeah but its okay I'm staying with Senous Tanki he's my teacher at the academy" He didn't mind the brown haired man and was grateful for him taking him in and giving him a place to stay especially after having only know each other a short amount of time. It was just his brother tended to hang around a lot and Kenji was an arrogant ass to be blunt. "I believe you know his sister?"

Yukino nodded before grinning wickedly "you know you could always stay with me."

"Yukino you know dorm rules prohibit non residents from-oh" he blushed as he finally realised what Yukino was alluding to. He should know better by now as since getting together with his childhood friend he had found out she was a terrible tease and he was much more modest than he thought. Obviously spending time around Shizuru hadn't corrupted him that much.

Yukino giggled a terrible girl sound that from anyone else he would have found irritating but from Yukino sounded like the best sound in the universe. Most things Yukino did were like the best things in the universe.

They ate in silence glancing at each one another when they thought they wouldn't be noticed. While they had known each other all their lives their romance was still very young. He had only recently acknowledged his feelings for the other girl recently. He rolled his eyes remembering when he came to the obvious revelation.

They had all gone on a trip to the swimming pool. His mind was preoccupied in the changing room as he was trying to figure out why he felt so different around Yukino lately. He started feeling different ever since the HiME festival. After he found out what it meant to be Yukino's most important person he had realised that she was also his. Now every time he looked at his friend his blood would speed up and he had an intense desire to be near her. But he had always wanted to be near Yukino so hadn't thought much about it. It was only when he started to loose concentration around her he began to worry. Sometimes he would stop right in the middle of speaking just to stare at her or he would stop arguing with Shizuru as he caught Yukino bending over or stretching. It was infuriating when the Bubuzuke woman would follow his eyes and then grin knowingly at him especially when it seemed she had more of an idea of what he was feeling than he did. Or she thought she did anyway.

He tugged on his swimming bottoms and thinking about how long it would take Yukino to change into her own swimming suit when desire, unmistakable lust, nipped at him at the thought. He paused half way through the act of tugging his shirt over his head when he imagined Yukino doing the same. He knew she would have small breasts, he had seen her in her swimming costume before. Nip. He also knew that she would be wearing a bikini today instead of her usual one piece because Shizuru had taken her shopping and she had blushingly told him about it. Nip. Her smooth flat creamily belly would be bared. Nip. As well as a good portion of her breasts. NIP. He wondered if the bottom was a thong. NIPNIPNIPNIP. He gasped and doubled over to hide his reaction.

It was then that it hit him quite literally that he wanted his friend! He started to think of her in a more than friendly way. He was not that disturbed by the thought, quite the opposite because Yukino came from a good family and she herself had gotten her fathers approval something he himself had never been given. She would make a perfect wife not only because of her connections but because they already knew everything about each other and she was the person he was most comfortable around. He could make mistakes around her and she never thought less of him. He could sit anyway he wanted and talk about anything with her without fear of judgment. Falling in love with her was the best thing he had ever done!

Most upon finding out they are in love with their best friends agonise for ages trying to decide whether or not they should tell their friend. They way the pros and cons of confession. They ask themselves would it be worth risking their friendship for. They at least give it more than a few minutes consideration. Not Suzushiro Haraka he didn't even give it a few seconds of consideration. He was after all a man of action and now that he realised his love for his best friend decided to act on it, right now that very second.

He marched out of the changing room ignoring Reito's puzzled look and Yuuichi's confused call. He threw open the door to the room Yukino was in and all hell broke loose. The women on discovering a man at the threshold screamed and dove for the nearest cover. Haruka didn't stay silhouetted in the doorway for long oh no he marched deeper into the room. He was a man on a mission and no amount of screaming was going to stop him.

Yukino, who at that point was being coaxed by Aoi into at least trying on her new suit, had just taken off her top when Haruka had just turned the corner and saw Mai who was busy dressing Makoto. He had finally found them!

"Yukino!" He called. All the girls froze; Shizuru was the only girl that was dressed in her bathing suit all the others were in various stages of nakedness accepts Mai who was fully dressed. Yukino turned toward Haruka horror smeared across her face. Haruka who was ready to declare his undying love to her froze and almost against his will his eyes were drawn downwards below Yukino's throat to her-

"Hentai!" Shiho screamed and all the others flew into motion as well.

Chie hurried to cover her girlfriend with a towel while Yukino was busy trying to cover herself with her arms. Shizuru was mentally recording everything that was happening to enjoy later and teasing Haruka about it un-mercilessly in the future. Natsuki, who's face was uncannily resembling a tomato, hurled Chie's bag at Haruka smacking him squarely in the face. He was forced to step back at the force of the blow slipping on one of the girl's tops and landing on his back.

He later had to explain to the security guards at the pool that he wasn't a slasher or molester and he merely wanted to tell his friend he was in love with her. The guards were less than understanding about the whole affair and it was when he was in the process of shouting at a guard twice his height that he forgot it was a woman's changing room and he merely wanted to tell Yukino that he was madly in love with her that he felt someone jump on his back from behind. When he managed to roll over on top of his assailant he found none other than Yukino pinned beneath him blushing brightly. He didn't even have time to confess before her hand reached up and pulled him into his very first kiss.

It was thanks to Shizuru's and Reito's smooth talking that he wasn't arrested but he didn't even care that the Bubuzuke woman had managed to save him. He was too busy receiving his second, third and thirtieth kiss from Yukino who evidently loved him back.

"What are you smiling about?" Yukino asked him.

"I was thinking about the first time I tried to tell you I love you" he said honestly. She smiled remembering it to. She had loved Haruka all her life and despaired because the blonde had never shown the slightest interest in her. The day Haruka burst into the woman's changing room was the happiest and most embarrassing day of her life. Haruka loving her was like a dream come true.

"I think we should get the bill" he held his hand up for the waiter's attention.

"Oh no, you paid last time," she quickly snatched the bill from the waiter and went into her purse "in honour of your quitting college I'm buying you dinner, besides," she grinned at him wickedly again and he braced himself "since I'm paying you have to put out."

He laughed and blushed at the same time. Yukino used his distraction to pay the bill. He looked up at her and smiled widely. He had been doing that a lot more lately. It was a nice feeling.

"But I do insist on paying Kuka-chan" he used his old nickname for her. He could never pronounce her last name when he was a child so always called her Kuka-chan. She had confessed to him once that she liked it because it was the first time she ever had a nickname. Or a friend.

"Too late Haru-kun the bills already paid." She used her own nickname for him.

Realising he had been duped he got up ready to go to the cashier and demand a refund so he could repay with his own money. Yukino sensed some sort of badly conceived plan that would undoubted be loud and cause a scene, pretended to stumble as she rose from her seat. Haruka was at her side supporting her at once.

"Yukino! Are you okay?" if it was the food he was going to demand to speak to the manager of this place about standards. He would black list this restaurant with every reviewer in town if he had to.

"I'm just a little light headed Haru-kun can you take me outside for some fresh air?" she looked up into Haruka's concerned face and felt a slight twinge of guilt at deceiving him but it did make him forget about the bill. Haruka pulled Yukino's much smaller and delicate frame against his own taking most of her weight easily. Yukino flushed as she was pulled against him she was actually becoming light headed being so close to her love.

He sat her on a stone bench which was positioned under a tree outside. It was winter so the branches were bare but the restaurant had decorated the trees in the front square with white fairy lights so they looked beautiful and allowed Haruka to look at Yukino who was even more so.

"Are you okay now?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes, come sit with me" she pulled him down to sit beside her. She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and snuggled into his sides. Haruka blushed as he would never have been so forward but held her against him none the less because he enjoyed the contact.

They sat there in silence sometimes talking about small things like what they seen on the news or what band they would like to go see when Yukino felt Haruka stiffen. She looked up and saw Haruka glaring at something to his left. Since Haruka was blocking her view she had to lean forward to see what had upset him. Two girls were walking through the square the taller one had her arms wrapped around the smaller girl much like the position they were in a few moment ago. The girls were obviously together.

"Haruka?"

"Its unnatural two girls together" he said turning back to Yukino who was startled.

"It's not as if they chose it, Haruka" she said frankly disapproving of his attitude.

"If they wanted to be together one of them should have been a boy" he didn't sound aware of how silly and stupid his words were. You couldn't decide what gender you were born with.

"You can't help who you love Haruka" she pulled away from him wrapping her arms around herself as she realised how cold it was.

"Then I'm lucky," he turned around to look at Yukino his eyes were so gentle and loving she forgot she was annoyed with him "because I fell in love with the most wonderful girl in the world." To him it was the simple truth so he didn't expect his words to have such an effect on Yukino.

She kissed him hard straddling him to get better access to his mouth. She was now above him so he had to tilt his head back to kiss her. With one hand she stroked his face and the other opened his coat. He yelped as he felt two cold hands slid into his jacket. His cotton shirt not providing adequate protection against Yukinos freezing digits. She hugged his chest, it was very cold and she didn't have a coat.

"Yukino if you wanted my jacket all you had to do was ask!" he squeaked at how close she was and how her small breast felt pushed up against his chest.

"Let's just share it okay?" she tucked her face in his neck and felt him tuck the coat around her back. Together they were too big for the coat to zip but Haruka's arms around her back kept the sides of the coat from falling and also kept her warm. She nibbled on his neck absently busy taking in the scent that was purely Haruka.

He bared his throat to her, loving how her soft lips and softer body felt as if it belonged with his. He was truly lucky to fall in love with Yukino and to have her love him back was like a dream come true.

XxXx

He was dressed in his best tan dinner jacket and slacks. He borrowed Reito's brown dress shoes and closer to the restaurant he would put on his black tie or he would have Mai put it on for him anyway as he would probably tie it in a knot. He was taking her to a fancy restaurant to celebrate their engagement. He had Reito make the reservations because La Mer, the fanciest restaurant in town would have turned their noses up at him for standing by the entrance and never would have given him a doggie bag let alone a table. It was good to have such a cultured friend.

He knocked on the door and nearly swallowed his tongue as Mai answered the door with a smile and clingy red dress that showed of her curves. His eyes raked over her form and he tried to tell her how much he appreciated the dress but the sounds that came out of his mouth were closer to grunts than the compliments he had been going for.

"So do you like it Mr Tate?" she twirled around making the dress flare out at the bottom "Aoi persuaded me to buy it today" she thought the only reason the other girl had coaxed her into buying the expensive dress was because she felt guilty for spending so much on her own white dress. But she was right it was their first dates as an engaged couple, they should look their best.

"Its very nice," he smiled but was annoyed that that was all he could come up with. He could tell her she looked beautiful or stunning that she took his breath away but no he said she looked nice. Why didn't he just grunt and tell her she looked alright?

But Mai seemed to understand what he meant rather than what he said as she took his arm and smiled brightly at him "here carry my purse." A small red beaded bag was thrust at him as Mai pulled him along. He used to be embarrassed when she did that but now he found that the many little womanly tests he passed the better the rewards at the end of the night. He grinned widely thinking about the end of the night, since they were engaged her would surly be allowed to get under Mai's shirt tonight of all nights.

It was a short walk to the restaurant mostly filled by boring small talk. He mostly concentrated on how good mai looked on his arm. He felt himself strut proudly and had to stop himself smirking at other boys who were either alone or with girlfriends not nearly as good looking as his.

"Here, Yuuichi" Mai reached into his side pocket and drew out his tie. He stooped to allow her to button his shirt collar she paused in the act of putting the tie around his neck and they both stood there gazing into each others eyes. He was the luckiest man in the world to have her. She closed her eyes as he pulled her into a deep kiss. Would Mai forget about the date and go straight to a hotel room with him?

"Come on, lets go" she pulled away and finished doing his tie. Obviously a no to the hotel idea, he thought.

They entered the restaurant and he felt very out of place in the snooty environment. The matradie looked down his nose as they approached his little stand. He wanted to hit the other man who acted like he was guarding the gates to heaven and not some restaurant. Ok so it was a fancy French place but still it wasn't as if it was that important. He would rather be at McDonalds anyway.

"Reservations?" though by the tone of his voice he doubted that the young couple had any.

"Under the name Kanzaki" the man must use that giant nose of his to sniff out the true blue bloods from the impostors like them he thought trying his best not to glare.

"Ah, yes" the man looked like he smelled something disgusting the way he was frowning at them. Probably annoyed that they did have reservations. "Party of two, walk this way please."

They were seated by the front window at the back of the establishment. The small table and secluded area were supposed to give a feeling of intimacy but he just kept worrying about if he would make a fool of himself and knock over the water glass. The table was too small for anyone with proportionally limbs to use comfortably. He picked up the menu and panicked. It was all in French, he quickly turned to the back to see if they had any Japanese translations but there was just more French. He looked up at Mai who seemed to be having the same trouble as he was.

"Yuuichi, how good are you at French?" He got an F on his test to the eternal shame of his family.

"Bad how about you?" he asked surely Mai would know a little.

She shook her head "I take English remember?"

"We could always ask for menus in Japanese" though he said it half heartedly because he knew that the regular customers probably spoke fluent French, he was willing to bet Reito did. This was not going as he planned. He called over a waiter who seemed a little friendlier than the materadee.

"Do you have any menus in Japanese?" he asked watching as the waiters friendly smile vanished as he too seemed to smell the working class from them "I'm sorry sir but those are the only menus we have," he turned his nose up at them as well "I could always read the menu to you sir?" though by his expression he would rather not.

"That's ok we'll have two of these" he randomly pointed at a number and the waiter smirked ever so briefly before writing it down on his notepad. He disappeared into the kitchen. He glanced back at Mai who was looking as apprehensive as he felt.

"What did you order?" she asked. He shook his head, he had no idea. He had seen a movie like this and hoped that he didn't just order snails like the idiot main character.

When the dinner came it wasn't snails. It looked like the offspring you would get if bronchiole and cheese had a baby. He poked at his half expecting it to poke him right back. Mai didn't even want to poke it in fear of retaliation.

"I dare you to eat it" he looked up at Mai who was grinning at him wickedly.

"No way!" he lifted a mouthful onto his fork and the thing wiggled disturbingly like jelly.

"Go on" she jeered him.

"Well what do I get if I do?" Under the shirt, under the shirt.

"I'll let you dare me next" she smiled and watched as Tate seemed to contemplate her proposal a moment before he shoved his forkful into his mouth. His expression was calm for a whole two miniatures before his face fell and he lurched away to the bathroom. Fool, she would never have done it. She met him at the door to the boy's bathroom or W.C as it said on the wall.

"Let's just pay the bill and go" she didn't want him to order desert and dare her to eat something like the bronchiole/cheese child.

"I have a better idea" he grinned mischievously at her before pulling her into the bathroom.

"Yuuichi!" she was appalled at his behaviour. She looked around curiously, she had never been in a mans bathroom before after all. She was almost disappointed because it was clean well lit and aside from the urinals looked exactly like a woman's bathroom. She half expected graffiti and broken lights and horrible life forms growing from mould like on TV. "What are you doing?"

Her fiancée was standing on top of a toilet opening a small window "Let's go!" he grinned beckoning to her from the toilet.

"What?" she was shocked and in spite of herself not wanting too found the whole thing funny and daring in a way that excited her.

"Quickly before the bathroom attendant comes back!" she was jolted into action and grabbed his outstretched hand. He hosted her up and helped her out the window, his hand 'evidently' slipped onto her bum and she turned to glare at him. He gave her his best innocent look and regrettably removed his hand. He scrambled out after her just as the bathroom door opened and he heard the angry shouts of the bathroom attendant.

"Quickly! Run for it!" he grabbed Mai's hand and they ran from the restaurant. She was behind him because it was damn hard to run in heels.

They collapsed on a bench a few blocks away from the restraunt laughing and out of breath. He opened his collar and ripped off his tie stuffing it in his pocket. He saw a shop across the street and bid Mai to stay there and catch her breath as he ran over to it. He came back with desert in hand. He passed Mai a vanilla ice lolly and munched on the chocolate one.

"So Mrs soon-to-be-Tate," he turned his head to grin at Mai who was dishevelled and flushed from the run "are you ready to be married to this nut?"

She put her arms around him and placing their foreheads together said "why yes Mr Tate I am."

XxXx

"You look stunning" he said folding the napkin in his lap.

"Ah Reito your such a flatterer" Shizuru smiled as she read from the menu "was that Tate-san and Tokia-san I saw passing us?"

He nodded "Tate asked me to get him reservations to celebrate their engagement." He waved over the waiter who smiled at him a little adoringly "are you ready to order honey?" Shizuru nodded and the French rolled of her tongue effortlessly. He had just placed his own order when the sudden commotion drew everyone's attention.

"Thieves! Vandals!" the bathroom attendant stormed into the dining area and the matradee hurried over to him. They conversed in hissed voices before he saw the matradee glace at him sideways. He broke away from the attendant and all eyes followed him as he came to rest at their table.

"I'm sorry to inform you sir that the young man whose reservations were in your name seemed to have left without paying..." the matradee's voice was slightly accusing as he spoke.

"Ara it seems Tate-san forgot again," she looked calmly at the matradee who in spite of himself was quite charmed "I would like to apologise on his behalf as he is terribly forgetful."

"Yes, but just to make sure there's no harm done could you please make sure Tate-sans bill is added onto ours?" Reito smiled his most understanding and charming smile and in the face of such nice people the matadee didn't think it was worth fussing over. He nodded and left quickly.

They both watched him go before laughing softly together. "Wait till I see Tate tomorrow," he was angry at his friend for his idiotic actions. He had did him a favour by making the reservations and his running of showed a complete lack of respect.

"Ah don't be too hard on him;" Shizuru smiled at him "French food isn't for everyone."

He to found himself charmed by the other woman and he couldn't help but agree with her. They talked idly until their food arrived and ate in silence. He was half way through his desert and an amusing story about how his business teacher couldn't remember what the third 'e' in STEEPLE analysis stood for when he noticed that she wasn't paying attention.

"...Shizuru?" his head tilted to the side asking an unvoiced question.

"Gomen Reito," she knew she was caught not paying attention "I was just thinking about Natsuki, she seemed to take news of us together rather hard."

He nodded "you care a lot about her don't you?" he said sympathetically.

"I love her" Shizuru said honestly. He knew that too, Natsuki had somehow managed to claim a place in Shizuru's heart that almost rivalled the size of his. Surprising since Shizuru had few real friends. He was the only one that knew the real reason Shizuru befriended the antisocial girl. She saw a rebel in biker cloths and a bad attitude and seen in her everything her mother despised. She talked to the ice princess because she knew when word would reach her mother of just who it was that she was spending her lunch times with the aspiring socialite would have a heart attack. She would be disgraced if the ladies at brunch found out about her daughters friend. That was how it was at the start anyway but Natsuki had somehow manage to move beyond being a pawn in Shizuru's and her mothers game of one up manships to become Shizuru's best friend.

"Do you think we should tell your mother that Natsuki proposed to you today?" he grinned cheekily knowing full well that Mrs Fujino's reaction would be less than supportive. It would also pull Shizuru out of her dark mood.

"Wouldn't the old bat love that," she smiled recognising Reito's attempt to cheer her up "though my mother had long developed a cure for homosexuals" two bullets; one in the un-natural heart and the other between the un-natural eyes just to make sure.

"Ah yes I was so sorry to hear that the government reject her proposal to bring back hunting those 'vile creatures'" his mimicking of her mother sounded eerily good to Shizuru but then again Reito and her had to endure the same luncheons that her mother held court over all who entered the exceedingly, posh and exclusive club that heirs like herself and Reito were forced to join. She felt jealous that Haruka had now escaped that life and longed to do so herself.

"There's always next year for her to try again" the talk continued on and she participated enough that Reito didn't notice that she sometimes took to long to answer. She couldn't drive thoughts of Natsuki from her mind fully.

"Shall we go?" He rose and pulled Shizuru's chair out for her. He took her hand and together they walked out to his car hand in hand. The perfect couple.

XxXx

Nao snapped her phone shut as she entered her mother's hospital room even though she had woken up she still wasn't released yet. Her mother looked up from her magazine she was catching up on the gossip for the last few years she had been asleep. Her mother was a typical house wife loving anything to do with star scandals. She was disappointed to find out that her favourite band OTOME had split up and the lead singer Arika was now divorced with kids and dating the bands former drummer Tomeo. What ever keeps her happy Nao thought trying to remember if her mother hand always loved empty gossip.

She smiled widely at her mother still not fully believing she was here after so long. She sat by her bedside and reached out to touch her. She had been doing that a lot lately just to make sure it wasn't a dream. Her mother understood this because she herself squeezed her hand back just as hard. Her little girl had grown up without her. Without anyone.

"I brought you another magazine" it had some other pop star that she knew nothing about.

"So how was your day sweetie?" her mother took the magazine and sat it beside her.

"Yukariko had me cleaning again" the ex-nun scared her more than she would like to admit.

"Yukariko that's the nun in from your school right?" Her mother was trying to figure out all the new people in her daughter's life. She sadly noted that Nao hadn't mentioned any friends.

"Yea, she's also the resident psychopath" she rolled her eyes and was about to tell the other woman how crazy the ex-nun actually was especially when she had a bible in her hand but stopped when her mother yawned and stretched. She had slept for years but still felt tired.

"Sorry honey, you can tell me later" she smiled through another yawn. She noticed Nao's disappointed look.

"That's okay I'll come back later" she stooped to retrieve her bag when her mother stopped her.

"Come in beside me" she scooted over on the bed to make room for Nao. She hesitated before giving in and climbing beside her mother. She had been so lonely especially since she couldn't summon Julia anymore. She lay down beside her mother and felt her wrap the blanket around them both before wrapping her arm around her waist. She felt like she was a little girl getting tucked in. She wiped her tears covertly on the pillow, she finally wasn't alone anymore.

XxXx

Shiho sat the bowl of instant noodles down in front of Mikoto. She learned that being friends with the eating machine meant she would have to learn how to cook. Though as Mikoto never tired of telling her her noodles were no match for Mai's which she grudgingly agreed to in her head but would rather die than say out loud.

"So when do you think they'll be back?" she asked Makoto wasting her breath because when food was in front of her she was oblivious to the world. They were currently in Tate's dorm room she was waiting for him to get back and tell her all the details. She would love to go to a fancy restraunt! It would be so romantic!

She was so glad that Mai and Tate where getting married. It meant she would get to ware a brides maid dress. She hoped Mai didn't make Makoto her maid of honour, she cast a sideways glance at the competition, she was much better material for such a serious roll. Then again Mai might make Natsuki maid of honour to stop Makoto and her fighting.

She couldn't wait for the wedding!

XxXx

Natsuki slammed the door shut behind her. She had no luck in getting any information it seemed that all the bars she had frequented during her HiME days had all closed down and become family restaurants or other nauseating family orientated places.

She took off her jacket and suavely threw it to the side where it slid down the wall and collapsed in a heap. She went into her bedroom and seizing her pillow beat it against the wall in frustration. How was she supposed to change anything when she had no idea what it was she was dealing with?!

For the first time in her life she wished Nagi hadn't disappeared of the face of the planet. He always knew what was going on. She threw her ruined pillow down and searched the room for something else to take her frustration out on. She had seen Reito and Shizuru walking hand in hand and had to bight down on her jealousy. Why did it take her so long to realise how much Shizuru meant to her? That wasn't strictly true, she always knew that Shizuru was important to her she just wasn't ready to be intimate with her. That didn't seem to be a problem for Reito, who nearly choked Shizuru with his tongue when he was escorting her. She glared at her closet door as she remembered that Shizuru didn't seem that appalled by it.

She snatched up her hair brush, the closest thing to her, and was about to hurl it at the wall when the blinking light on her phone caught her eye. She threw the brush on her bed, lightly and crossed the room to retrieve the phone. She flipped it up and played the message that had been left for her. She thought it might be Shizuru and she wanted to desperately hear her voice.

"Hey Natsuki remember me, your mother? I just called to see how school went today, I know, I know you're a big girl and I shouldn't check up on you but you're still my daughter and I have the right to worry. Anyway I just wanted to see if you're free tomorrow since you keep dodging me. Call me back when you get this. Love you. Bye."

The phone fell from her limp hands to land softly on the carpet.


	4. Chapter 4

She pulled up to her childhood home. She had no where else to go, this was the only place she could think that her mother would live. She hadn't been here since the incident and she had never planned to come back. But this wasn't the same house that she lived in eight years ago. The grass which was usually longer than their neighbours would like was neatly trimmed and the walls where white washed and the fence was freshly painted. She put her helmet down on her bike and looked at the house dazedly. This was her home. It may not look the same as it did years ago but the badly scrawled family portrait of her and her mother and Duran was still there on the garage door. Her mother had been so proud of her little Picasso that she took her for ice cream all the while pleading with her to confine her art to the sparkly pink note pad her mother had bought for her that day. The humming bird wind-chime her mother had gotten on her travels through China still hung outside though more weather worn than she remembered. But the biggest clue that her mother never moved house was laying at the front door.

Duran raised his muzzle, white with age, to look at her tiredly. The old dog struggled to his feet to come greet her once more. She slowly opened the gate to kneel down and reach out moving just as slowly as the ancient dog to pet him. Her mind told her that any sudden movements would make him disappear. He licked her hand tiredly and she jumped to hug him. She buried her face in the motley fur choking back her tears.

"Duran...oh, Duran," she sobbed hugging the ancient dog tighter. He sat down and allowed her to clutch at him seeming very regal in his old age.

"Natsuki!" Her mother appeared at the door glaring at her crossly "you better park your bike and get your butt in here, this dinner won't eat itself!"

She looked up still unwilling to release Duran. Her mother had gotten fatter as well as older. She had white streaks in her otherwise dark hair and when she smiled at her stunned daughter she looked exactly the same as she had when she was thirty three and even with the wrinkles on her face she was the most beautiful thing Natsuki's lonely mind had ever seen since her childhood was ripped from her.

"Mummy...?" she slowly stood up and Duran perhaps sensing her unwillingness to be alone ambled along beside her until she reached the step. She drew level with the other woman and reached out slowly to feel her face. Her mother looked confused but didn't move as the look on her daughters face was like a woman who just found a treasure she had been searching for all her life. She breathed in sharply as she touched _real _flesh, felt _real _breath ghost on her face and actual eyes blink confusedly at her. She couldn't believe it was real. She spent the entire night staring at her ceiling resisting the urge to get on her bike and come here because life was never this good to her. It couldn't be real, but it was because the woman she grabbed and hugged let out a small squeal and giggle when she buried her face in her neck and smelt just as she remembered as a child.

"Natsuki what happened?" she wrapped her arms around her little girl that was sobbing into her neck.

"Nothing absolutely nothing" she breathed wrapped up in the scent of roses "I'm fine now."

XxXx

Midori pranced around the room lighting candles as she went. She felt like a very naked fairy but didn't think that was a bad thing. She flounced around to some up beat tune that was playing on the radio until she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was only wearing her red lacy underwear and loved how the frills looked against her body. She wondered if she should put on the garter belt that she had stashed in her closet but decided it would be over kill.

"Who's a sexy HiME Ranger?" she winked at her reflection and couldn't resist posing.

She looked dame fine for a seventeen plus year old. She turned her back so she could wiggle her bum which looked very inviting to her. It was December 18th the day that she had met Youko at a frat party six years ago. When she had found a girl buried under sweaty male bodies drinking three times her body weight while others passed out she knew that she had met her best friend. Never again did any students at the university of Tokyo stand a chance against her and Youko in a drinking contest. They had remained the undefeated champions up until their graduation. Since she and Youko were now more than BFF's, as they called themselves in bad engrish when drunk, she had decided to celebrate their anniversary differently this year. Usually to honour their first meeting they would crash a frat party and drink everyone under the table but this year they where going to have 'Hot Wild Monkey Sex' tm.

She scrunched her hair up and struck her best super model pose complete with pout. "I'm a sexy HiME Ranger, yes I am." That did give her an idea, she would have to ask Youko if she was into cosplay at all. She grinned and her reflection which grinned back more wickedly.

She dove on the bed and lay across it to reach the other side where she had left her bag containing her sexy scarlet teddy. Just as she grabbed the bag her eyes caught on the sight of her beat up duffel bag. She rolled over and landed neatly in a crouch. She pulled the duffel bag to her and flopped down on her bum. She could have sworn she put this thing away when she got back from Egypt. Inside was her photo album, she glanced at the clock, she had a few minutes for photo gazing.

The first photo made her smile as it was a picture of the whole HiME gang the first time they went out to a karaoke bar. The next few she flipped through absently; Mai hugging Natsuki, Mikoto hands under a blushing Mai's shirt, Shizuru and Reito sitting close together, Haruka mid rant while Yukino looked on adoringly, they weren't together at this point if she remembered correctly. That reminded her that she needed to update her album she had no pictures of her and Youko as a couple or any documentation of the changes in the other HiME's lives. She flipped to the back absently and her whole body froze.

A man with salt and pepper hair squinted at her from the frame. He was older than her and had a lot of wrinkles most of them premature but his eyes were a soft brown that always, she remembered fondly, sparkled with unending kindness and wisdom. His smile was natural as the photo was taken without his knowledge and the unguarded moment showed the genuine warmth of the man that she loved. His laughter lines seemed to be less pronounced and faded altogether as she continued to look at him. The Professor was a great man, she stared fixedly at the photo caressing the image longingly.

She was startled as the door slammed shut. She glanced at the clock and curse she couldn't believe she had spent fortify five minutes staring at the photo. She pulled the silk teddy over her head hurriedly and did a quick check of the room. Candles lit? Check. Silky Sexy underwear complete with mind blowing teddy? Check. Alcohol? she looked at the ice bucket, Check. She was going to buy champagne but decided to go with a few bottles of bear that they liked instead. No point in trying to be someone they weren't. Her romantic atmosphere seemed in order except for the bed. She had meant to scatter roses on the bed but forgot. She glanced quickly around the room and spotted the bunch of wild flowers that Youko had given her this morning. She seized them and shook them furiously over the bed beheading everyone of them and covering the sheets in assorted flower petals and a few leaves. She heard footsteps in the hall outside and decided the leaves added a bit of character to the bed. She stuffed the stems of the murdered flowers into her duffel bag along with her photo album and with a mighty kick sent it across the room to hide in a corner so as not to spoil her seduction with Youko's impossible neat freak attitude. She had barley enough time to jump on the bed and strike her sexist pose when the door opened.

"This is the worst day evvvvv..." Youko trailed off her eyes going impossibly wide and mouth continuing its last sound in pleasant surprise.

"Well I think I can make it a bit better," She arched her back thrusting her breast out proudly at the stunned doctor "don't you?" as Youko dropped her jacket in the doorway and eagerly hurried to the bed all thoughts of the Professor where shoved forcefully from her head as if by magic.

XxXx

Aoi snaked her arm through Chies as they walked down the street. It was cold enough that they could see their breath puff out slowly in front of them. They had just finished shopping for food and she was feeling the cold despite being wrapped up in her pink woolly hat, scarf and gloves. Chie was similarly dressed only her hat, scarf and gloves were a light gray with a blue trim. Chie smiled down at her when she felt her rest her head on her shoulder.

"Chie, what are you thinking?" she asked coyly thinking about how lovely the streets looked lit up with Christmas decorations and how romantic it would be to kiss beneath their light.

"Honestly?" she felt Aoi nod against her arm "I was thinking it would be nice if you carried the shopping bag the rest of the way home."

"Chie!" she slapped the grinning girl on the arm, "you can really ruin the mood, you know!"

"Ruin the mood? Aoi we're walking down the street there's no mood to ruin!" jeeze her girlfriend was randy. She wouldn't mind but she was only half joking about the shopping, it seemed Aoi had exclusive information that there would be a famine and she had to stock up on everything right now if not sooner.

"Chie of course there's a mood!" she tugged the other girl to a stop and turned to stand in front of her "look at the grey sky that's threatening to snow and the sparkling Christmas lights and the moon! Look how big and cheerful it is!" she tugged on Chie's jeans so that the other girl had no choice but to move until their pelvis's touched "and besides when I'm with Chie everything has a mood."

Despite herself and Aoi's unfortunate choice of words, she felt her cheeks redden "Aoi..." she tilted her head as the other girl leaned up on the tops of her toes so as to kiss her "I'm supposed to be the smooth talker" she said softly as Aoi drew closer.

"Then smooth talk me Chie..." and they were kissing softly Aoi's hands resting on Chies shoulders.

As magical as kissing Aoi was she felt the nagging a the back of her mind about how they shouldn't do this out in the street. Not only might Mr Senous or one of Aoi's brothers catch them but as the schools rumour mill she knew how easily it was to be spied on and she didn't want her and Aoi to become the subject to dissect at tomorrows lunch.

"Aoi not here," she pulled away from the other girl who was flushed and breathing heavily. She felt no small amount of pride at the fact it was her kissing that had left Aoi stunned disregarding the fact that Aoi had the same effect on her.

Aoi stared a little hurt at Chie's rejection "why not here Chie?" she sounded like a spoiled child that had just been told no for the first time.

" 'cus I want to be alone with you is all" She said and tried to start walking but was blocked by Aoi.

"You always just want to be alone with me!" Chie was shocked at the glare she was getting, she thought wanting to be alone with Aoi would be seen as a good thing "are you ashamed of me?"

"No! Of course not!" now she was really confused, she reached for the other girl who turned away.

"You must be because you never want to kiss me in front of others!" she turned away from Chies outstretched hands.

How did this fight happen so fast? she did the only thing she could think of to make Aoi happy. The heavy shopping bag clattered to the ground and as Aoi half turned to see what the sudden noise was Chie pushed her up against the nearby shop window and kissed her hard. She unzipped Aoi's coat and her hands slipped inside. She pushed away the nagging feeling of performing in front of an audience. She would do what ever it took to make Aoi feel happy again her annoying discomfort be damned. Tinned food of all varieties rolled around them unnoticed.

She set out to give the passers by a show to remember wile Aoi moaned encouragement. She couldn't help feeling sad though that so many people were witnessing something so wonderful that should have been private.

XxXx

Haruka stepped from the shower and wrapped a towel around his waste and then another around his head. The action was second nature to him so he did it without thinking but when he passed the mirror he caught sight of his head wrapped up in the towel like a girls he tossed it angrily to the floor where it lay upon the wet tiles.

He had been doing things like that for awhile now. He went shopping and bought purple eye shadow because he loved the colour, it wasn't until he got home that he realised what he had done. He stood hand hovering over the bin but for some reason he was unwilling to part with it disgusted with himself he stuffed it as far back in his underwear drawer as he could reach, determined to forget about it. He scowled at his room; it was a nice neat room filled with trophies and photos of his family and friends. The family photos were very stuffy and obviously posed and even though they were smiling in them it was obvious to passers by that the only person who enjoyed being there was the small blond boy in the middle his chest puffed out proudly with his mothers and fathers hand on each of his shoulders. It was one of the very few times he had seen both his mother and father outside of work. The rest of the pictures had Yukino in them somewhere whether she was jumping in mud with him or in a dignified position as part of the Student Council she was always there.

He turned from the photo's and ran his fingers through his wet hair. He had more styling products than he secretly thought appropriate for a man but couldn't help himself. He lathered his hair in anti frizz serum, heat protection and sleek 'n' shine to give him soft and lovely looking hair. He turned on his hair drier and got his soft brush out and set about trying to tame his unusually strong willed hair into something other than a blond frizzy afro.

Eventually he sat the hair dryer down and started to pat himself dry most of the water had already evaporated from his skin. He reached for the moisturizer and put it on his shaven legs. Another thing he always did as a reflex even though he told himself men were supposed to have hairy legs. It was just he would look at them after two weeks of not shaving and hated the sight so he shaved them for his own peace of mind and never wore shorts until there was at least some stubble so as not to be jeered at by his more hairier colleagues.

He paused to take a look at himself in the full length mirror. He straightened up and eyed his body. Sometimes especially late at night when he was drifting between conciseness and sleep he would start to think his body was wrong. It seemed as if he was wearing a suit two sizes two big and his small skeleton felt drowned in all the access muscles, hair and testosterone. A few times he had even startled himself from a half sleep as he hand absently fell on his chest and he was shocked not to find breasts there, which was ridiculous because men don't have breasts...or at least the skinny ones don't. Even now his hands drifted to his flat pectorals and he could vaguely imagine the size and weight in his mind. It was like a thought just out of his reach.

"Oi loverboy! your girlfriends just showed up!" Kenji's voice broke through his thoughts and he panicked to find cloths. He found his underwear first and hurriedly stuffed them on he searched his room to find something that was not dirty or embarrassing like his neon pink Hello Kitty T-shirt.

"Oh my," He whirled arms flailing to find Yukino in the doorway. They locked eyes for a moment before he saw hers slowly start to descend. He let out a squeal, a very manly one and reflectively covered his chest despite having nothing to hide.

"Yukino!" his tone implied for her to get out right now.

"Sorry Haru-kun!" she hurried slammed the door almost hitting her head as she bowed furiously in apology.

He stood covered in a full body blush. They had to have the worst luck when it came to walking into rooms. He heard giggling from the other side of the door which he took to mean that Yukino thought so too. He smiled unwillingly, well it was kind of funny. He went to his closet the place he should have run to first and pulled out black jeans and a gray shirt and put them on.

He opened the door to find Yukino also red faced standing with flowers. He smiled softly a second time and took them from her putting them on the desk beside his door. While he had no use for flowers always finding them impractical and useless because they die so quickly and don't actually do anything he was charmed in spite of himself.

"My Haruka what would the boys at the academy think if they found out you squealed like a girl?" Yukino said playfully extending her hand for Haruka to take.

"They would probably tease me terribly so that's why I'm going to have to ask you to keep quite Kakukawa-san" he smiled and took her hand outstretched hand closing his door behind him. This was were he felt right. Being with Yukino always made him feel as if he belonged.

"But I won't do it for free Suzushiro-san," she teased dragging him along the corridor "you'll have to make it worth it" she smiled a smile full of promises and he could only nod just glad to be with her.

XxXx

They stopped at the door still talking.

"Are you sure you have to turn in early?" Tate asked pleadingly.

"Yeah I told you that we wouldn't have time together after Takumi and Akira's victory bash" Mai placed her hand on Tates chest as he lent in to kiss her. If they started now he would want to be invited in and she wasn't doing that tonight.

"Victory bash," he scoffed "like baseball is a real sport" he rolled his eyes anything that wasn't kendo wasn't sport as far as he was concerned. "Though did you see how Akira mauled Takumi after that last pitch? Someone's in for a home run tonight." He leered forgetting momentarily to whom he was talking to.

"Yeah and its not you" she said frostily. She didn't mind her little brother having a girlfriend, well she did but that was besides the point, she just didn't want him to have a girlfriend that tried to rape him at every opportunity. He was a shy delicate boy with a good throwing arm not Arika's man whore.

Sensing he had just gotten himself out of Mai's good graces and spoiled any chance of scoring a home run for himself Tate put on his most charming irresistible smile "Maaai..." he drawled only for the door to slam in his face.

"Good night, Yuuichi" Mai called through the closed door and swore she heard whining. She didn't have time to contemplate the sound for long as she was tackled to the ground by the resident cat girl Mikoto.

"Mai's home!" Mikoto sat up but made no move to get of Mai "Mai's going to play with Mikoto, yeah?" she said hopefully.

"Yes Mai's going to play" she laughed as the younger girl danced on top of her. She had been neglecting the other girl since she and Tate had gotten engaged.

"Wooohoo!" Mikoto jumped up and launched herself on the bed the force of her impact making her bounce slightly. Mai smiled indulgently before sitting on the side of the bed and ruffling Mikoto's hair playfully. "You all set?" she asked and Mikoto nodded speedily.

"Uh huh, uh huh!" her whole body moved in the effort to show Mai that she was indeed ready to play.

"Ok then" she cupped the other girls cheek before kissing her deeply. "Take your shirt off" she whispered her voice husky.

Mikoto was eager to obey and nearly ripped her shirt in enthusiasm. She had to slow down, the last few times they did this she wasted all her energy in round one and had to lay limply in the second round while Mai caressed her because she was too tired to reciprocate. Her breasts bounced freely and she fell back against the pillows when Mai started to kiss them. She was going to last for more than the first round this time for sure as Mai had been coaching her.

XxXx

Tate walked dejectedly back to his room. He couldn't believe Mai was seriously about not letting him come in. He opened his door and was tackled by Shiho who seemed to have put up camp in his room.

"Your back!" she yelled her heart fluttering slightly as she crushed herself against Tate's broad chest.

"Yeah, yeah get of me" he pushed her to the side affectionately as he walked into his room "I'm going to take a shower," he lifted his towel and rolling it up bopped her on the back of the head "Don't be here when I get back!"

"Onee-chan!" she whined rubbing the place where he hit her. He paid no heed to her whingeing and closed his bathroom door behind him.

She stuck her tongue out at the closed door before going to gather her school books. She came across the bridal magazine and smiled she couldn't wait for the wedding it would be even better if it was her own. Her heart fluttered as she taught of Yuuichi in a tux standing beside her on the alter but that was silly because he was going to marry Mai who she loved and was stealing her onee-chan. She was startled at the jealousy that was clawing its way through her and shoved the magazine deep into her bag hoping to get rid of the unwanted feeling as well.

"Onee-chan I'm leaving!" she called but when she got no response she crept closer to the bathroom door. "Onee-chan...?" she called softly hearing the water running. Acting on impulse she quietly turned the handle and found the door unlocked. The bathroom was filled with steam so she could barley make anything out. Tate must have been in a hurry to get a shower because he didn't close the curtain. She stared at him hungrily, eyes taking in every inch of wet flesh but he had his back to the door so she could only see the muscles in his strong back rippling as his right hand pumped up and down furiously.

Was he...? Her eyes widened as she realised what he was doing she closed the door hurriedly trying not to make much noise. She ran from the room into the cold night air breathing heavily. Her body tingled all over from what she had just seen and while she tried to push the image of a wet Tate arm working furiously out of her head but it seemed to be burned into the back of her eye lids. She shuddered with something that wasn't disgust. She just wished she could have seen his face she bet it would have been beautiful. No! She pushed the thought out of her head thinking about Yuuichi that way was wrong he was Mai's boyfriend-fiancée not hers.

Though sometimes she really wished he was hers.

XxXx

"Nao why hasn't your father come to see me?"

She froze as she helped her mother back into bed. They had just had the best bad dinner in the hospital cafeteria, the food sucked but the company more than made up for it. Her and her mother had talked about everything and anything except that. The older woman had put of asking that question because she honestly didn't want to know. She sensed that something bad had happened and selfishly allowed herself to wallow in ignorance for as long as her conscience and curiously would allow her to.

"Am...he hasn't come because..." the same accident that left you in a coma left him face down in a pool of his own blood as he tried to run away. That he died with vomit on his shirt and pleading with the street gang to spare him and take his wife and kid. "...he died." She didn't explain the circumstances in which he died, it was her way of being kind. No one should have to be betrayed by the people they love. Though she wanted to, she wanted to tell her mother about the scum she married. How her bad taste had left her in a coma and her daughter begging for her life which turned out to be worthless anyway.

"Oh" her mother seemed to fold in on herself. She drew her knees up to her chest and stared at the far wall unseeing. Suspecting something bad had happened was different from knowing something bad had happened it seemed. She managed to remain dry eyed for two hours after the world changing revelation but Nao who sat in the hard plastic chair watching her avidly put that down to shock. It was only after big fat tears started to make their way down her mothers cheeks did she think the woman finally understood the cold truth she had lived with for so many years; They're gone and they wont come back. But she wasn't alone, her mother had her, they could be a family together. She got up slowly and sat beside her mother wrapping her arms around her as the heart broken woman sobbed loudly into her shoulder.

Her grip tightened on the other woman. She was holding her like a life line because with her she was no longer alone. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

XxXx

Natsuki was standing in her living room and she felt like a stranger in her own home. On the wall were pictures of her that she didn't remember being taken. Only a few items of furniture were the same as what she remembered and she was curious and frightened to see her own room.

"Natsuki," she walked into the kitchen where her mothers voice came from "are you sure your ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine" she smiled at the older woman, the woman her mother never got the chance to become. "Since when did you start eating tomatoes?" her mother hated the red fruit/vegetable with a passion matched only by their shared love of mayonnaises. She would never have put it in a sandwich.

"I've always ate tomato now sit down I made you a sandwich as well," She sat at the great oak table that dominated the kitchen "I thought that you maybe had a fight with Shizuru-chan and that's why you look so glum?" she looked up from studying her sandwich at her mothers questioning tone. She couldn't remember the last snack her mother had made her but she stared at the sandwich a bit affronted that the ham chicken and lettuce had no mayo.

"Here I know I'm not going to get an answer out of you till you get this," her mother took from a Tupperware box and sat it in front of her "made it just this morning for you." Her mother smiled pleased at herself.

"Is that...?" she stared at the box before opening it so the smell confirmed what the substance was before her mothers self satisfied nod. Home made mayonnaises her mother secret recipe. She felt as if she was going to start crying again at the sight. She put it on her sandwich reverently and it was just as she remembered "this is good, really good." her voice held all the sobs that she wouldn't allow across her face.

"Thank you. Now answer my question did you and Shizuru have a fight?" her mother stared at her intently before placing her elbows on the table and leaning across it willing her to answer.

She had forgotten about the STARE the stare that made you want to tell all your secrets too. Most mummies have this stare but her mother had over time seemed to have made hers into an art form. But her secrets now where a lot more than; Yes, she was the one that coloured all over the den room walls with a red crayon and no it wasn't Duran who she had blamed. How do you tell your mother who you've just recently been reunited with that you think your in love with your best female friend?

"Yeah we did have a fight," she avoided eye contact with her mother so as not to confess the whole truth to the STARE.

"So you're not talking then?"

"No, we're not" her gaze was sad because she wasn't thinking of this Shizuru who she ran out on but of her own that ran out on her "She left me..."

"Natsuki Kuga if there one thing I know about you in all the years I've been your mother," she flinched slightly at that because she hadn't been her mother very long "is that this is probably your fault!" she looked up slightly startled that her mother blamed her. She thought that mothers were supposed to always take their children's side in arguments.

"Don't give me that look! You're one of the most thick headed stubborn child that god put on this earth and for some reason Shizuru-chan has put up with you and people love you to bits," her eyes were soft when she gazed at her daughter because despite the gruff exterior she was also the most kind hearted shy person God put on this earth "but you've probably did something or said something that drove even the devote Shizuru-chan away or worse," she paused for effect to make sure her thick skulled daughter got the importance of these last words "...you didn't do or say anything to make her stay."

Her back was ridged but her face was slack at how fully her mother understood her and the situation that her inaction with Shizuru had left her. She was about to speak thought she didn't know what she was going to say when her mother's upraised hand cut her off.

"-No I know I should mind my own business," she dragged herself off the table with a slow agonising movement, her mother had gotten old, and turned her back on her to face the stove. "and you don't want any advice from your old mother..."

"No! that's ok, I would love some motherly advice," not only had she no idea what to do about Shizuru but she had never got the option for motherly advice before. She had wished for that so many times in her later years and even now she long to hear her mother speak. She just wanted her to kiss it and make it all better.

"Okay this is what you do," her mother whirled back to the table all pretence of old age suddenly and suspiciously gone. She had the irritating feeling that she had just been tricked while her mother smiled in a manner that was positively Shizuru-Esq. "You go to Shizuru and apologise, you don't take no for an answer," her mothers face was intent as she worked furiously to fix her problem "she may not be the same Shizuru as before but that's okay because you need her in one form or another anyway."

She was ready to protest that fact not liking to seem so needy of someone but her mother waved her complaint off airily something she wasn't used to as her reputation and intimidating demeanour demanded peoples respect. Everyone excepts her mothers it seemed, and damnmit she shouldn't be so please about that but couldn't help the bubble of happiness at the familiarity her mother was showing to her.

"Listen my Natsuki," she clasped her daughters hands tightly "it is very hard to be happy in this world so if you find something or someone that makes you so you should grab it and hold onto it because you might never get the chance again and the worst thing you can do it die with regrets," her mother was in danger of invading her personal space "now it seems to me that Shizuru-chan makes you smile in a way that no one else does, I've seen how you light up around her even though you hate the effect on you she has, so don't cast her out of your life so easily."

"But what if she wants to go?" her voice was quite in the thrall of her mothers speech.

"Give her a reason to stay," her answer was simple.

"What if she wants something I can't give?" that had always been the worst part of Shizuru loving her even now she wasn't sure if her feelings were genuine or just a way for her to fool herself so Shizuru didn't leave her.

"Would Shizuru-chan really ask for something like that?" her mothers face was kind as she watched her only daughter process the information. There were a serious of many twitches and eye darting but eventually her face froze as all the pieces fell into place; she had made her decision.

"You're right!" she launched herself straight up from the chair " I have to go find Shizuru!"

"That's my lil princess!" her mother cheered excitedly caught up in spite of her age and sense.

They both walked to the door. She turned at the door to face her mother and tried to think of something to say. This would be the last time she would talk to the woman. She decided that on the short trip to the door because despite how wonderful she was this woman wasn't her mother.

Her mother died in a car accident years ago. She never had the chance to grow this old or cut her hair into that particular short crop that this woman wore. But it was still nice to have her there for her to give her a taste of what it would have been like to grow up with someone you could run to for advice. Nice and extremely sad as well because now she knew what she was missing out on. She hugged the other woman tight and once again for the last time filled her senses with the smell of roses.

She half pulled away and stared into green eyes so much like her own. When she was younger she never allowed herself to think of what she would say to her mother if she ever got the chance, at the time it had hurt to much but now she wished she had because here was the golden opportunity she had been waiting on all her life and she had no idea of what to say. She wanted to say something deep and profound or at least memorable but nothing came to mind.

"I'm glad I was yours," so she said the simplest and stupidest thing that came to mind and she could have kicked herself.

"I'm glad you're mine as well," her mother smiled a heart breaking smile of love and affection that she would never see again.

She turned and walked away willing her tears to wait just a few moments until she was out of sight because she didn't want to alarm the other woman by bursting into tears. She stopped only once to say farewell to Duran the dog that never got a chance to reach this ancient age. Once again he sat regally looking at her with sad eyes that seemed to hide hidden wisdom. She got on her bike and told herself not to look back, but of course she did, because anyone that was riding out of heaven always took one glance back to fix it in their minds.

Her mother stood their at the door of their family house arm outstretched enthusiastically waving her off while Duran sat old and proud at her feet. That was all she ever wanted and she was giving it up so she could be with Shizuru, the real Shizuru not the one in love with Reito.

Her Shizuru.

XxXx

A/N some of you have been wondering why Haruka's sex was changed but if its not clear in this chapter I promise all will be clear by the end. Again if anything else is bothering you feel free to email me about it. Thanks to those that reviewed and supported this fic you encouragement has been very needed and welcomed!


	5. Chapter 5

Fumi stood on the platform and addressed the crowd of seniors "This will be the last winter test you take at Fuuka academy..." she waited as the cheers died down "I hope you all get what you wish for to help you go on to do whatever it is in life..." her speech continued on but Natsuki blocked it out.

She had spent the whole night thinking about alternate universes and parallel dimensions. She had gotten so desperate that she turned over to the sci fie channel hoping to get ideas from the shows on there but to no avail because while there were plenty of shows on the subject matter there wasn't any plausible explanations about how it happens. She was somewhat relieved because the day a sci fie programme helped her to solve her problems was the day she gave up the fight and join Shizuru in her love for the daft genre.

A few times that night she tried calling Shizuru but she never answered, she had the distinct feeling her calls were being screened and she wasn't used to being ignored by Shizuru. Even though this worlds Shizuru wasn't her own she still wanted to see her. Though she didn't know what she would say or do once she did. She scanned the crowd hoping to catch sight of her but she wasn't here and why should she be this was only a confidence boosting speech for seniors who were really feeling the pressure to succeed on tests.

"...And I would like to bring on someone who has gone through the same thing as you: Fujino Shizuru," her head snapped to the podium as Fumi stepped aside for Shizuru to talk to the students. "It seems like the end of the world doing these tests but really that's the easy part its waiting on the results that will really make you panic" the crowd laughed obediently all students whose attention had wandered like her own were snapped back at the sound of Shizuru's voice.

She continued to talk about how they would be fine if they worked hard and did their best but she stopped listening to her as well. She just drunk in the sight of her not having known how much she missed the other girls voice until now. Shizuru would know how to get out of a parallel dimension or alternate universe she was sure.

The speech ended and she stood with the rest of the students and clapped until her hands were sore. She fought her way out of the crowd to the podium but was annoyed to discover that Shizuru had already left. She was ready to stomp her foot and throw a fit because she was fast running out of patients with this damn world when she suddenly knew where Shizuru would be.

She was right Shizuru was in their garden but she wasn't alone, Natsuki ducked behind one of the pillars holding the gazebo up and listened.

"I heard you moved out of the mention Fumi-sama." Shizuru's voice was quite and her usually pleasant tone was gone.

"Yes, I didn't need all that space," even from her hiding place she could tell Fumi's cheer sounded false.

"It must be terribly lonely with Mashiro gone," Shizuru's voice was sympathetic because she empathised with the older woman to a degree.

"Yes, yes it is," there was a sound that Natsuki imagined was Fumi swallowing hard "if you excuse me Funjino-san I have things to attend to."

She waited a few more seconds before she came out of her hiding place. Shizuru's back was to her and she traced the outline with her eyes. She knew now why she had come in search of this Shizuru. She wanted to be selfish. She wanted this Shizuru to love her so she could stay in this world where everyone was happy and she would be able to introduce Shizuru to her mother as her girlfriend. She would be able to kept them both and for this first time in her life have everything she ever wanted. She thought she was ready to leave this perfect world where her mother was alive and Mai and everyone was happy but she wasn't. She needed to see this Shizuru to make up her mind. She needed to know if she could live with the other girls as only her friend. She needed to see if she was actually in love with Shizuru or not before she gave up all this world had to offer her and go back to the Shizuru who loved her. It was selfish but it was what she needed.

"Shizuru..." the other girl turned and she lost her voice.

"Kuga-san, how nice it is for you to come and see me after running away," Shizuru's voice was neither hostile or her usual politeness when talking with the pubic instead it was cold and she all but glared at Natsuki.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that 'Zuru" 'Zuru' started at the name not used to anyone taking liberties like that when it came to addressing her. Natsuki had wanted to call the other girl that for awhile just to see her reaction and it seemed a good time to try it to diffuses the situation.

It worked because Shizuru's shoulders slumped and her stance loosened. She could never stay mad at Natsuki no matter how hard she tried "why did you run away Natsuki? Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"Well it was because I hated seeing you with Reito," she took a deep breath and got as close to the other girl as she could without seeming to intimidate her "if I'm honest it's because I like having you all to myself."

Shizuru blinked at the out of character declaration from the normally stoic Natsuki who would rather do housework, something she despised, than talk about her feelings. "Natsuki..."

"And if I'm really honest," she continued "I like having you all to myself because I think I'm in love with you and I'm going to kiss you now so I can find out," her palms were sweating and she was really nervous. She lent in closer to the other girl afraid to touch her encase she spooked her.

Shizuru didn't know why she wasn't moving. Natsuki was inching forward very slowly perhaps to give her the chance to stop her which she should be doing right now because she had a wonderful boyfriend and had never even thought of kissing Natsuki her best friend.

She finally touched her lips to Shizuru's soft ones. Now that she was here she had no idea what to do. Faces up close looked really scary like a bad abstract painting. She closed her eyes and began to move her mouth. While she was actually enjoying herself more than she thought she would she had a nagging suspicion that she was rather bad at this kissing thing. It didn't help that Shizuru was just standing there frozen.

She wanted to melt into Natsuki. She wanted to sweep the other girl off her feet and onto the grass and show her how a kiss was really done. The impulse was so strong and familiar that it didn't seem to be hers as she had never thought of doing anything romantic with her friend before today, but the desires that were raging on inside her seemed far too desperate to have been born for only a few short seconds.

She pulled away reluctantly and dragged her eyes open. She had really like that, loved it in fact. There was no denying it now Shizuru was the one for her. She swayed and felt very dizzy but looking at Shizuru's face sobered her up quickly. The other girl looked shocked and horrified and she realised this was probably what she looked like the night of the HiME festival and felt extremely sorry for her Shizuru.

Her hands twitched to slap the other girl. She had absolutely no right to do that to her! To make her feel things she didn't want! "Never do that again" her voice was cold and she turned sharply away from the other girl.

"Shizuru!" she grabbed her hand desperately "In the Carnival who was your most important person? It was me wasn't it? We died together in each others arms! You love me!" her voice wasn't desperate like she imagined it would be but strong and cut thought the air demanding Shizuru answer her now and honestly.

"It was Reito, you killed me and then disappeared yourself! You said it was because I was your best friend but now I know the real reason," she pulled her hand away and shocked them both by running from Natsuki. Natsuki had never seen Shizuru run before in her life. It was a rare sight to see her going faster than a snails pace so to actually see her running was such a surprise that the sight should be documented. Deep down though she felt hurt at how much the other girl wanted to get away from her.

XxXx

She was driving hard and fast along the highway, miles and miles of road stretched out before her and despite her dangerous break neck speed she knew with an unwanted certainty that she would never catch up to Shizuru. Mostly because she had no idea which one she was chasing.

This worlds Shizuru who loved her like a friend or her worlds Shizuru that loved her more than that. Her heart was torn why couldn't she make up her mind? It was simple right? Go home to the girl she loves…except it wasn't simple because the girl she loves was boarding a plane to Kyoto and might not want to see her and the girl that loved her like a friend wanted to get as far away from her as possible. Love or Friendship? She could lose both anyway. If she did lose this worlds Shizuru she always had her mother and Duran but if she lost her own Shizuru she had no one.

But that wasn't her mother…

This wasn't her Shizuru…

And this is not her world…

She knew now what she wanted she wanted to go back to her own world. she wanted to go a back to her own Shizuru. She might lose everything if she went back but she couldn't stay here surrounded by people that weren't hers. She didn't want to. She had to turn her bike into a dangerous skid to make the corner in time and cursed at herself to pay more attention to the road. She was trying to recreate the conditions that got her here in the first place. She had no idea what else to do and no where else to look for clues. The sky was dark and full but only threatened rain and there wasn't any other vehicles in sight. She needed it to rain and for a truck to-

A truck.

She pulled her bike into a U turn and promised that after she got home she would be the safest driver ever but not right now. She drove to the nearest library glad to have something to go on which was more reliable than throwing herself over a cliff and hoping for the best. The truck that she had crashed into had a the logo of a flaming sun with a smiley face, she hadn't given it much thought but now it seemed vitally important. She did recognise dimly that she was clutching at straws but she had nothing else to loose.

She logged onto one of the library's computers and a Google search later she had the name of the company and a customer information number.

"Good afternoon, IncoSun customer services Yumi speaking, how may I help you?" The voice was monotone no doubt having lost enthusiasm after years of giving the same speech.

"Hello I'm Mai Kuga and I'm writing a school report for my business class and wanted to inquire about the deliveries made in the Fuuka area?" she lied through her teeth hoping luck was on her side.

"The Fuuka area? Lets see we currently only deliver to one outlet store in that area but deliveries have been halted for the time being." Natsuki could just imagine the body the voice belonged to, a blonde bored sectary filing her nails and not paying much attention to the conversation which was great for her as bored workers were often the most chatty.

"Why have the deliveries been halted?" she tried to sound polite and not eager.

"The truck for that route has gone missing and the drivers position has yet to be filled..." the woman's bored tone faded as she realised she may have said something that she shouldn't have "what did you say your report was on?" but the only thing that answered her was the dial tone.

Her brows furrowed in thought. The truck driver would have been useful because she could have asked him if he was from her world to but she didn't know what it meant if he was missing altogether and the Fuuka run was currently not in service. Her last hope was rapidly slipping away. She could try and find the man in the green car that she tried to over take but that was a slim chance as all she remembered was the cars colour. She tried to remember the license plate number as she remembered staring at it but not really taking it in because she was to wrapped up in thoughts of Shizuru.

She went back to the computer she defiantly knew that it began with the kana 'd' and 12 or was it 21? She logged onto It was a handy website that private detectives used to find cars. She subscribed to it when she was trying to find her mothers killers, this was long before she had established any of her contacts in the underworld. After signing up again as her account wasn't active in this world, she typed in the two numbers she thought were on the license plate her partial search had six hounded hits. She narrowed the search down by colour and then eliminated all unsuitable vehicles like convertibles and bikes. She now only had one hundred and twelve hits, she tried to remember the make and model but her memory was to foggy. She would start her search working from further outside Fuuka inwards. She figured that since the green car was heading out bound with family in tow that the driver was returning home. She printed of the list and phone numbers. It was going to be a long night…

"Hello I'm Mai Kuga from Fuuka tourist resort just calling to see if you enjoyed your stay in our wonderful town?" she put on her fake cheery voice.

"Fuuka where the hells that?" Angry middle age man.

"I'm sorry miss, I've never been to Fuuka" Old woman.

"I'm busy here lady!" Rude young man.

"Why do you people always call during dinner?" frustrated housewife.

"Fuuka?! Oh yeah I loved Fuuka! I was thinking about going back there maybe we could meet up?" Horney college student.

On and on the list went until she was just about ready to strangle herself with the phone line. She had run out of money on her mobile and had to resort to using the phone box outside the library. After the next call she was going to have to run and get change. There was still sixty names left. The numbers that worried her where the four numbers that no one picked up. She kept thinking that one of them was the owner of the green car and she was wasting her time phoning the other numbers.

"Hello I'm Mai Kuga from Fuuka tourist resort just calling to see if you enjoyed your stay in our wonderful town?" her voice had lost it earlier cheery lustre and she was merely going thought the motions, like most office workers.

"Ah sorry Miss Kuga I cancelled my trip to Fuuka," the mans voice was polite enough that he was obviously using his own telephone voice.

She straightened against the box that she was slumped against pulling on already taxed resource she managed to become more interested and friendlier. "Sorry for calling you Mr..." she glanced hurriedly at her papers "...Nakamura, but do you mind if I asked why you cancelled your trip to our fair city?"

"Oh it has nothing to do with your city Kuga-san," he hurried to assure the young woman on the other side of the phone "it was just my wife had a bad dream about an accident." As soon as he said it he regretted it as he thought now he was going to have to endure the tourist officers assurance that Fuuka was a wonderfully safe place.

Natsuki curled around the phone and her grip on it became tighter. Yes, finally she might have found something! "It was a car accident wasn't it, Mr Nakamura?"

"Yeah, it was actually" he looked at his phone suspiciously, there was no way a tour guide in Fuuka could know that.

"Involving a truck and a motor bike?" her voice dropped all pleasantries in her eagerness.

"How did you know that?" he was started and a little freaked out that this woman knew so much about his wife's dream "tell me how you knew that!" but his only answer was the dial tone.

Yes she wasn't mad! There had been an accident. She was beginning to doubt herself as there seemed to be no evidence to back her up. The news didn't report anything, she was still alive and unmarked plus the truck driver that had vanished. Now that Mr Nakamura's wife knew about the accident as well she felt closer to getting home. She passed a shop selling underwear and fetish costumes which usually made her blush and hurry on but something caught her eye in the window and she stared.

That was it!

She once again jumped on her bike and rode at dangerous speeds to get back to school. She once again promised to drive more carefully once this was all over and done with but for now she opened her bike up and allowed it to go to its fullest speed.

She arrived at the schools church but didn't find what she was looking for so she hammered on the teachers private rooms. Ishigami-sensie poked his head through the door his hair dishevelled, he managed to glare at Natsuki with bleary eyes before she pushed past him.

"Yukariko-san do you have access to your Child?" she was out of breath and paid no heed to the man that was mumbling angrily at her. Yukariko looked up form where she had been putting the twins to bed and glared at the intruder putting her first finger over her mouth to signal to Natsuki to be quite. She felt a little ashamed of herself but in her defence she didn't realise it was so late.

"Now what did you want Kuga-san?" Yukariko asked politely once they were outside. She felt like a terrible bully after having burst into the other woman's home and then been treated so nice.

"Can you summon your Child?" she asked once again and couldn't help but want to shake the answer out of the other woman, she was so close.

"No" the other woman looked confused and she rapidly deflated. She actually wanted to cry she had been so sure she was right and now it turned out that she was wrong, woefully wrong in fact.

"Though its funny you should bring him up," the ex-sister placed a hand under her chin thoughtfully "I had a dream about St. Valas a few nights ago but it was awful strange."

Hope springs anew! she leaned in eagerly "strange how?"

"Well I was talking to him at the mansion and I don't recall ever going there before," she looked at the school girl that was practically on top of her "eh Kuga-san why do you want to know?" she was a little uncomfortable with the close contact.

"You were at the mansion?" she ignored the other woman's question and at her nod took of running for her bike.

It made even more sense now!

XxXx

A/N: Apologises if there is any big mistakes as I'm dying with the cold and boredom. That has to be the worst thing about being sick just having to lie there and suffer it.


	6. Chapter 6

Natsuki walked into the abandoned lab where Midori had once resurrected M.I.Y.U. Most of the ceiling was in huge chunks scattered around the floor and the walls all lent outward ready to fall at a moments notice. No one had rebuilt this place it seemed.

Standing proud dead centre of the room was St. Valas. He was encased in crystal and every few seconds his prison pulsed with artificial life. Extending from the huge crystal mass where thousands of strands spanning the whole room and beyond. White floating balls of light dangled from the strands, dancing and swaying softly to a non existent breeze.

"So you figured it out then?"

She whirled to find Fumi hands clasped demurely in front of her standing next to a crumbled wall. the white light played across her face giving her a ghostly appearance. She was once again clothed in her ridiculous pink maids outfit which Natsuki found hard to be intimidated by.

"I think so, I didn't know for sure until right now" She nodded, her voice normal.

"How, may I ask?" the maid inquired politely.

"Well, you actually, I had no clue up until the test speech where you said 'I hope everyone gets what they wish for' which made me relies that I didn't slip into a parallel dimension but that mine was changed" She took a deep breath and was distracted by the light shining on her hands. "Mai would wish to be married to Tate and Mr Nakamura would wish he never brought his family to Fuuka..." She looked pale and ghostly just like Fumi. "I started to suspect it was you when I realised that you were the only one that was sad." It was when she saw the maids outfit in the fetish shop that reminded her of Fumi's old uniform that she realised that the old maid was the only one that wasn't happy.

"Ack," Fumi lightly tapped her pale hand against her forehead reprimanding herself "I see, to make me happy I would have to have brought Mashiro back but I knew it wouldn't have been real so..."

"There's still a few things I don't get though" she wanted to see if the other woman would explain it to her as she didn't seem to be ready for a fight "the accident I was in should have killed me so why I'm I here and the truck drivers not?"

"Accident?" Fumi's face for the first time lost her pleasant mask to become thoughtful "you were in an accident that should have killed you...? Ah so that's why your wishes never came true, you must have been out of the equation when I made St. Valas cast the illusion."

"But why am I here?" this was one of the things that really bothered her. She was starting to feel as if she wasn't real and the fact that the pale light made her seem almost transparent didn't do anything to calm that notion.

"The only reason I can think of for you being here and the truck driver not was because someone wished you here and there was no one who wished for the driver." Fumi stepped closer to her closing the distance between them to a few feet. Natsuki tensed ready to fight.

"Can I see what people wished for?" it was a crazy urge but she thought she knew who it was who saved her.

"Yes that's what the lights are. You have just to say the persons name but," Fumi stopped her "remember wishes are very personal things it would be like reading someone's dairy."

She nodded she understood that she just didn't care "Fujino Shizuru" the web like creation shuddered and one small light broke away. She walked over to it when it didn't come to hover in front of her like she expected. She reached out to grab the light but found that it had no substance. It was like compressed smoke so she leaned closer and squinted against the glow. She could make out silver writing that crawled like a long grey caterpillar around the light.

She read it and sank to her knees. She didn't think it was possible to love Shizuru more but she was wrong. Her heart broke at how she had been so self involved and unintentionally hurtful to the other girl. It was evidence of the pure unselfish devotion Shizuru had for her and of the torment she put her through.

_Fujino Shizuru wishes for her love to be acceptable and for Kuga Natsuki to be happy._

It did explain a few things that had bothered her. Shizuru would halved wished for her to be happy and she would have thought to make her happy she would want her mother back. but Shizuru didn't know her mother only what she had told the other girl of her. Like how she made the best home made mayonnaise ever and how she smelled of strawberries and loved to meddle and play match maker. Shizuru had no way of knowing that her mother hated tomatoes and never made dinner when she could order take out or that she never trimmed the lawn because Natsuki had never told her. That wasn't really her mother. She was only Shizuru's wish.

Shizuru probably thought her wish would mean for her love of Natsuki to be acceptable and for her to be happy to receive it instead of her loving Reito who if he was any more acceptable would have his own religion. She wiped her nose on her sleeve uncaring of Fumi's grimace at her gesture. She was more resolved now than ever. "Why? How?"

"Mashiro wasn't human her powers were different. She gave me some to carry out her last order, no," her voice changed but with an emotion that Natsuki couldn't identify "her first request; Please make sure there're happy. And that's why. How? I used Mashiro's power to help Yukariko summon St. Valas and trapped him the same way the Obsidian Lord trapped Mashiro and from there it was all him."

She thought furiously about how Mashiro escaped her crystal prison but she was dead at the time it occurred and was just so happy to be back she didn't bother with the details. She was once again been punished about her lax attention span.

"How do I stop it?" well, the maid had been helpful so far...

"Stop it? Kuga-san everyone's happy here. Why would you want to stop it?" Fumi did looked genuinely confused.

"Because you can't give people what they want and make them happy. All it does is make them want more," she also tried to come up with another less selfish reason to destroy this wishverse "besides its not real and eventually its going to fade, look at St. Valas..." the Child seemed strained beads of sweat forming on his neck and his expression was strained or at least she thought if a horse/chess piece could have a strained expression that would be it.

"I'll find a way to keep it going," Fumi's face was spector like and her eyes burned with an other worldly light. Her voice was fevered and Natsuki knew that she would be of no more help.

"I'm sorry Fumi-san but..." She wished for a way to shatter this illusion. Her hands glittered and a scythe like weapon appeared in her hands. Well, that was pretty self explanatory.

"Kuga-san! Don't do this! You, yourself are only here because of a wish!" She reached for the other girl desperately. She couldn't bare to fail her mistresses last request "if you destroy St. Valas now you will die!"

She blinked. She hadn't thought of that..."I don't care," she raised the scythe ready to swing.

"Then you leave me no choice!" Fumi's hands also glittered and a scythe mirror image of hers materialised before her. What worried her was that Fumi grasped the weapon with a familiarity that she lacked. Hadn't Midori said something about Fumi's element being a-oh crap.

"AHHHHH!" she ducked and rolled away from Fumi's mad charge and desperately swung the scythe in hopes of parrying the maid's ferousicous attacks. She ducked and dodged and tried her best not to be sliced to pieces. Fumi's skill far out matched her own with a scythe and she thought it unfair she couldn't fight with her guns.

"Why would you destroy this Eden!?" Fumi swung the scythe at her with enough strength and speed that in made a 'whoosh' noise as it flew over her head. "This demi-paradise!"

"Because I really hate seeing Shizuru with Reito!" She swung the scythe like an axe and the force at which it reverberated as Fumi blocked it numbed her arms. It was only by pure stubbornness that she managed to keep her grasp of the weapon. Really couldn't a few bullet holes destroy the crystal prison just as well?

She lunged to the left but not quickly enough as Fumi's scythe embedded itself in her shoulder. She wailed in pain tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Even dying didn't hurt this much.

"Gomen Kuga-san but I can not allow you to destroy this earth of majesty," Fumi's voice was quite and intense in a way that only a true zealot could speak as she jerked the scythe upwards and ripped through Natsuki's shoulder cleanly. She didn't even have time to contemplate this knew area of pain when the scythe was unceremoniously shoved into her stomach. She curled around the blade as much as she could, it was the only thing that kept her upright. She couldn't feel her feet. She wanted to speak but blood filled her mouth, for some reason she still gripped her own scythe weakly, she commanded her hand to let it go but her body didn't obey.

"I promise you Kuga-san that I will make them happy," Fumi's eyes were sad as they stared into hers and for the second time in her young life Natsuki felt what it was like to die.

…Her death seemed to take a rather long time. Even Fumi who still hadn't removed the scythe looked to be a bit impatient. She was all set to go tragic yet heroic pose, blood trailing down her mouth and eyes glazing over but she seemed to hang there suspended in time. On her way to dieing yet not quite there.

She was rather annoyed actually.

"Kuga why aren't you dead yet?" Fumi's brows furrowed she to was ready for the other girl to die having said her last words solemnly.

"I don't kn-" and suddenly she did know which made her grin even wider "because dying wouldn't make me happy." She smiled at Fumi feeling as if the big bully's own joke had turned on her.

"Wha-ohm" Fumi's eyes widened in realisation. Shizuru's wish.

Fumi pulled her scythe free but before the other woman had time to get her guard up Natsuki had hit her hard across the jaw sending her stumbling off to the left of her. She hobbled her way to St. Valas hunched over her still bleeding stomach. It hurt but she made it gritting her teeth.

She once again raised the scythe and Fumi scrambled from her knees trying to stop her but she brought it down on the crystal prison with the remainder of her strength. The glowing cavern twinkled and shuddered casting ghostly reflections over both woman's faces. The last of Natsuki's strength left her and she fell to her knees before toppling over onto her side. All she could see was Fumi's horrified face caught by the wishes that sparkled like stars then violently died as Natsuki made the world explode.

XxXx

A/N: have one question for you; Did Natsuki have the right to do what she did? It was the Perfect World every one was happy except her so did that give her the right to destroy it?


	7. Chapter 7

Youko shoved the medical supply boxes onto the shelves viciously kicking one of the smaller boxes when it got in her way. The box wouldn't fit onto the already packed self and angrily she pushed it trying to squeeze it into the to small space.

She knew it was to good to be true. When had anything ever been so wonderful for her?!

She was hiding in the big storeroom under the pretence of organising it but really she was just moving random boxes and quite possibly making a bigger mess than what the room was in previously. She wanted to break down and cry but that wouldn't help at all so she fed her frustration and anger by shifting the dusty boxes as those were the only two things that were keeping her upright.

The door suddenly opened and light spilled into her storeroom. She turned to see the last person she wanted to face right now standing silhouetted like an angel or action figure in some dumb anime.

"I just heard on the news," the voice was filled with all kinds of pity she didn't want. "Scientist are working on theories to explain the last few days where everyone got what they wished for."

She turned her back unwilling to hear what else the gentle voice was trying to tell her.

"I wished to be in love with someone who would love me back," the voice continued quietly "I wanted a pure and unselfish love like on TV..." she closed her eyes tightly, she wanted to curl in on herself and run away from the pity that she was being shown "...and you wished for..." the voice trailed off waiting for her to answer.

She couldn't, she just couldn't. All she had ever wanted was Midori, the girl that grew into the woman she had loved at first sight. And for a few precious days she had had her. Only she never had her at all because Midori was never in love with her. She just loved being loved by her.

"Youko..." a hand touched her shoulder but just rested there making no move to sway her. Midori's voice was filled with understanding and regret. It was the regret that made her turn and bury her face in the other woman's chest.

"You. I wished for you." She clung to Midori desperately as uncontrollable sobs shook her body. She still wished for her, she had always wished for her. Strong hands that had caressed her lovingly over the last few days cupped her head and offered what little comfort they could.

Midori gently lowered them to kneel on the ground pressing the sobbing woman against her hard enough to squeeze out all of the air between them. She wished she could love Youko and be loved like that in return. The last few days where the happiest she had ever been but Youko was her best friend, no more. She felt so guilty as she listened to the heart broken woman's cries.

I wish I loved you.

I wish I didn't.

XxXx

"The phenomenon has been named by scientist as 'the Perfect World.' Enquiries are beginning as to what in fact actually happened in those blissful days. Religious leaders from around the world have all assembled proclaiming that God had just blessed them with a taste of heaven. Sceptics are quick to dismiss this theory claiming that weapons of mass delusion have just been tested successful-"

The TV flashed brightly before going dark and the attractive news anchor disappeared from view. "So are we going to talk about this?" Chie threw the remote onto the middle of the sofa where she and Aoi sat at opposite ends.

"What's there to talk about?" Aoi shifted but didn't look at her "we were still together in the Perfect World most would think that was a good thing."

"It is but for the fact my girlfriend turned into a nymphomaniac," she saw Aoi tense but still didn't look at her.

"So we were more passionate, can't we leave it at that?" Aoi couldn't take it anymore and stood suddenly her back to Chie.

"No we can't!" She stood as well talking angrily to the other girls back "you mauled me at every opportunity there which means you aren't satisfied here!" they had went at it like rabbits in the Perfect World. She had never been so exhausted in her life thinking Aoi was going to kill her.

"I didn't here you complaining!" Aoi snapped back face half turned towards the other girl but she still didn't make eye contact.

"I never got the chance to Aoi!" every time she opened her mouth she found Aoi's tongue in it. She didn't mind that Aoi wanted to be more intimate the only thing that concerned her was that if it was a problem then they should work at it here in the Real World. If Aoi needed something more from her like she obviously did in the Perfect World then she wanted to give it to her but she had somehow managed to fall in love with the most difficult girl in either world. God she felt a head ach coming on.

"It doesn't matter now Chie we can go back to normal," She could see that Aoi just wanted to leave. Her entire body was focused on the door and her hands twitched at staying still. Aoi obviously wanted to get away from her and their problems. She then had a horrible thought that made her stomach drop in fear. What if it wasn't 'their' problem at all? Maybe Aoi just wanted her for her body and excellent bedroom skills? In the Perfect World they spent most of their time being intimate not just making love but always touching and kissing...

"Did you-do you...is this all about sex to you?" Was Aoi only with her because she was the only one that would brave Mr Senou? Was she just the only way for Aoi to scratch her itch? Out of the two of them Aoi was always the most passionate. She was the one that always controlled how far they could go in the early stages of their relationship.

Aoi heard the horror in Chie's voice and couldn't refuse the other girls plea for her to answer. She turned and saw the way Chie seemed to draw into herself her eyes terrified of her answer "Chie, no!" she rushed to hug her trying to squeeze all the false beliefs from her girlfriend. She buried her face in the other girls neck until she felt her loosen up and returned her embrace though not as keenly as she would have liked.

"The reason we were more tactile was because," she took a deep breath screwing up her courage to tell the other girl her deepest fear "because you never kiss me when some ones around. You don't even hold my hand, no one knows that we're dating except Nao who walked in on us. You never tell anyone that I'm your girlfriend. I was just afraid you were waiting for something better..." she couldn't go on because she buried her head further into Chie's neck unwilling to face her fears.

Chie was popular and charming. Everyone loved Chie, she would get love letters from girls and boys older and younger than her weekly. She would relish reading them out to Aoi who would grin and note their names so she could make sure Chie never spent any time around them. No one knew that Chie was taken and had been taken for two years already and Chie never wanted to tell them. She was just afraid that she was waiting for someone who didn't look as plain as Aoi or who's thighs weren't as big as hers. Someone who didn't have the shadow of six older brothers hanging over her. She knew how intimidating they were especially her father who sent Chie into a catatonic state when left alone with him for more than a few minutes. They all meant well but for the first few years of her life she was held prisoner in their protective embraces until Chie full of courage or lack of sense rescued her and became her only friend. Then her only love. So in the Perfect World they were open about their love, very open, if she was honest, she was surprised they didn't get arrested sometimes. Her family knew about Chie and they were happy for her. That was her wish.

Chie held Aoi at arms length so she could look at her "how could I get something better than you Aoi?" She was confused about Aoi's fears but after thinking about it they where somewhat understandable. She was the schools gossip machine so for her to not tell anyone that she and Aoi were together could seem to be as if she was ashamed of them. "I'm a very private person, don't laugh its true! I know what damage rumours and gossip can cause so I wanted to protect us from that," and the fact she didn't want word of them getting back to any of Aoi's brothers "I don't like public displays of affection because I think it cheapens the love between two people if you put it on display for any old pervert to watch." She blushed and wanted to look away. She was embarrassed she had such puritan beliefs but it was true. She really believed in a time and place for everything and she didn't want to share their love with anyone who would either hackle them or get of on them.

"Oh," it wasn't fair that Chie had a really romantic and sappy reason for not kissing her in the street. She couldn't get angry at the other girl if she had genuinely good reasons for her actions. She felt deep affection for her in spite of herself.

"But if you want me to do things like this," Chie's hands found its way under Aoi's school skirt causing the other girl to jerk against her creating a delicious friction between their bodies "in public then I will."

"No, that's okay," now that she knew the reason she felt it was better for them to keep their touching to a minimal in public "but I want to tell everyone about us. I want them all to know that Harada Chie belongs to me and if they have a problem with that they can talk to my brothers," she gripped Chie's collar tightly staring into her eyes intently "and I want them to stop sending you love letters!" No one but her should have that right.

"Okay, okay," she was slightly frightened by the fanatic light shining in Aoi's eyes but kissed her anyway "I can't believe you would think I could get better than you." she shook her head starting to wonder about the other girls intelligence if she thought that.

"I know you can't get better than me it was your intelligence I was doubting," she could laugh about that now but a few minutes ago that fear was terribly real in her mind.

"Aoi, who's idea do you think it was to get married?" she caressed Aoi's now naked ring finger that was resting on her shoulder lovingly.

"You mean you...?" she was slightly dazed by that information.

"Uh huh, I use to plan what it would be like," she blushed at admitting such a girly fact "what flowers we would have, the colours of our dresses, what was the best place to go on honeymoon so your dad couldn't find me..."

"Chie!" she slapped the other girls arm lightly. Honestly, her father wasn't _that _bad. Mostly.

They smiled at each other just enjoying the moment. Aoi's gaze changed and she seemed to be looking for something. She slid to her knees and for a moment Chie thought she was just about to get lucky but Aoi took her left hand.

"I'm going to do this again only it will be more romantic with candles and flowers but for right now I'm the happiest I've ever been so do you think you could make me even happier and marry me Chie?" she looked up at the usually confidant girl to see her truly shaken.

In the 'Perfect World' Chie had proposed to her under star light and soft music both slightly drunk but here in the Real World Aoi proposed to Chie under florissant lights, silence and cold stone sober. It was Chie's wish for them to get married so she would do it as elaborately as the other girl wanted but for right now she wanted to promise her that she would be with her forever.

Chie stood dumbfounded eyes watering and smudging her glasses but she threw herself at the other girl. They both tumbled to the floor as Aoi was unable to support both their weights. Chie knelt above her on her hands and knees looking to Aoi that prettiest she had ever seen her.

"Hell, yes!" she kissed Aoi deeply and just like that all her wishes had come true. "Wait! I don't have to tell your father again do I?" the panic in Chie's voice was very real.

"Shut up, Chie," Aoi pulled the other girl down on top of her to drive all thoughts of her father out of both their heads.

XxXx

Haruka broke the kiss and lurched away from Yukino disgusted. She ran to the bathroom nearly tripping on the jeans that were too big for her, shutting and locking the door. She fell to the ground and curled into a foetal position. Her body felt normal again, her bones and muscles made her movements flow fluidly and she recognised her own skin. She was no longer a stranger in her own body, she was back to normal.

...But not, because what she was doing with Yukino wasn't normal. What she felt for the other girl wasn't normal. She didn't know why she thought she was a boy the last few days but knew that she was normal then. Her love was normal.

"Haruka! Haruka open the door!"

She felt more than heard Yukino's frantic banging on the door. She curled tighter into herself, she was Suzushiro Haruka she faced her problems head on she didn't hide in bathrooms! Only she did because she was not opening that door and facing Yukino now that the other girl knew how disgusting she was.

"Haruka I-I'm going to break the door!" from her place on the floor she snorted. Yukino as much as she loved her had more of a chance flying than she did breaking a door down. Her head jolted up as the door banged and shuddered in its frame but still held. She heard Yukino cry out and was on her knees before she could think.

"Yukino? Yukino! Are you okay?!" her voice was thick with emotion but she forgot her problems when faced with the fact Yukino might be hurt. There was no answer and she began to worry, maybe Yukino hit her head and was there on the other side of the door unconscious and unable to answer her. She could die while she wallowed in her own misery! She threw the door open to save Yukino.

Yukino was sitting in front of the door rubbing her shoulder her face wrinkled in pain. She looked up as Haruka stood in the doorway in cloths far to big for her. She looked ridiculous, it made her smile to see the normally fashionable Haruka in such cloths. She moved her shoulder and cried out as pain flared along her arm. Haruka was beside her in an instant checking her over.

"Don't move, Yukino!" she declared right in the other girls ear making her wince again.

"Haruka..." she captured the other girls face with her good hand. Haruka was much stronger than Yukino physically but she couldn't bring herself to shrug away the soft touch. She was drawn to look into molten green eyes that trapped her in a web of devious love. "Don't run away from us."

She wanted to obey the soft command. If there was one thing she was good at it was obeying commands but..."its unnatural for two girls to be together Yukino."

Yukino nodded but still didn't let go of Haruka. She was so close to getting every thing she ever wanted. She could feel it just outside of her reach. "Your right Haruka two girls together is unnatural," Haruka closed her eyes at hearing Yukino confirm the harsh truth "...but, what about Yukino's and Haruka's?"

She looked at Yukino confusedly, did the other girl hit her head?

"Its absolutely natural for Yukino's and Haruka's to love each other," her thumb swept back and forth along Haruka's cheek. It was much more softer than previously. She liked it better this way "in fact it would be abnormal for them to love anyone else." She could feel it coming closer everything she had ever wanted within her reach.

Haruka's and Yukino's...? Natural...? Had the other girl actually hit her head? "Yukino what are you talking about?"

"As a Haruka you have to love me because I'm a Yukino," her face was solemn as she got through to the other girl the only way she knew how "it would be against the rules not to."

Haruka's brow furrowed Yukino wasn't usually the one to talk nonsense, that was her. Now that their roles had been reversed she had no idea what to do and with Yukino so close to her that her thought process was not going at its usual frantic rate.

Yukino inched a little closer stopping only a hairs breath from the confused girls lips, she wanted so badly to kiss her but knew she would have to go slow so as not to spook her. "Haruka you don't break the rules right?"

Haruka nodded slightly almost head butting Yukino. It was true she never broke the rules regardless of what they were. Her father had told her that when she was very young and she had always taken what he said to be Gospel.

"Well, are you going to break this one?" she stared intently at Haruka. She felt like a big bully for manipulating Haruka like this but she was not going to let the other girl cheat them both out of their happy ever after. Haruka would eventually realise that she was lying through her teeth, she was gullible not stupid, but by then she just hoped that Haruka loved her enough to realise that it was ok for them to be together.

She was breaking a rule?! Her eyes became determined as she realised she was wrong. She set out to right that wrong as soon as possible. She closed the remaining distance between Yukino and herself not recognising the emotion she was feeling was eagerness. Their lips met and she sighed, right and wrong vanished and there was just Yukino who was smiling into the kiss. She felt her cheeks grow wet but didn't know which one of them was crying. For the first time she felt like she could do nothing wrong. All the inadequacies she had stored up disappeared when Yukino's lips moved against hers. She felt peaceful.

She smiled in to the kiss somewhat victorious but mostly from pure joy. She had everything she ever wished for.

XxXx

Mai was relaxing in a nice warm bath when she was suddenly thrust into a tub of cold water. Or that was at least what it felt like as the illusionary world she had lived in was ripped away. She had heard a sound and had woken to see what it was but was shocked to see how tangled she and Mikoto had become. Surprised she pushed a very naked Mikoto away from her and out of her bed. Mikoto squawked at the rude awakening and flailed about trying to stop herself falling. She grabbed the sheets that covered Mai but threw them into the air as she tumbled backwards. Mai was horrified as she stared down at the younger girl who still wasn't really awake yet. her legs where tangled with Mikoto's in a very telling way, she covered her naked chest with her arms.

"Dis-disgusting..."

She wheeled towards the door horrified to fine Yuuichi there still in the doorway. He was frozen there his face twisted as he took in the scene before him.

"Yuuichi!" she was horrified at being caught in such a position by her fiancée and even more so at being in such a position. She reached out to him but he recoiled his face burned her with the disgust he directed at her. He slammed the door behind him and she heard hurried footsteps retreating from the door.

"Mai...? Wa's goin' on?" Mikoto rubbed her eye dazedly.

Mai looked down at the younger girl and everything she had done to that small body flashed through her mind.

_Soft skin of inner thigh wrapped around her head..._

_"Hurts..." Mikoto whimpered the first time "I know baby..." she cooed moving her hands softly..._

_Mikoto grasping the bedsheets helplessly mouth bighting the pillow moaning "Mai...Mai!"_

_Sliding up and down on Mikoto's thigh, small hands guiding her hips her head thrown back in abandon "good girl Mikoto, so good..."_

She was a paedophile, she had taken advantage of poor innocent Mikoto. Her eyes fell on a bluish mark at Mikoto's collar bone then downwards to the nail marks on her belly and spread thighs.

"I'm going to be sick...!" she hurled herself into the bath room closing and locking the door behind her.

Mikoto who generally didn't fully wake up till around lunch was propelled into action with concern for Mai. She ran into the door amazed to find it locked before pressing herself against it fully. She could hear retching noises and sounds of sobbing.

"Mai! Mai! Are you, okay? Mai!" she was panicking and banging on the door. Something was wrong with Mai!

"Go away Mikoto!" Mai threw something heavy at the door and Mikoto jumped back. She wasn't used to Mai treating her this way. Had Mikoto done something bad?

"...Mai...?" her voice was softer more tentative.

"GO AWAY!"

Mikoto scrambled from the door. The anger in Mai's voice reminded her of the festival and she had never wanted Mai to speak to her like that again. All she wanted was to be with Mai and make her happy.

That was all she wished for.

XxXx

Nao woke up in the cold plastic chairs that hospitals seem to buy in bulk to discourage people who weren't actually sick from staying. She stretched and yawned then saw the bed. Her mother was back in bandages and she lay sleeping once again.

She had woken up before her mother a few times before and never panicked but something told her this time was different. She tried calling to her and when that didn't work she started to shake her furiously fear overwhelming her good sense. That was how one of the nurse found her, he pulled her away from the bed lifting her into the air as she continued to kick and scream hoping the commotion would wake her mother. But she didn't wake up...

Rei was a slightly chubby junior doctor in the ER and she was surprised she was even in work today. So many where out sick due to the trauma of waking up to find your dreams in tatters around you. Even she, the girl who had wanted to be a doctor since she was born, felt like quitting and curling up under her blankets with some bonbon's and the biggest heart attack inducing chocolate cake she could find. She had been chief of the ER, filthy rich and had a body that could knock any female fancier out. She threw the remains of her late breakfast into the bin preparing to go in and finish the rest of her shift when a scream rocked the hospital. The nearby pigeons took flight in fright while many that were milling about outside stopped to wonder what the hell they just heard. She personally thought it was the scream of a dying animal because there was no way a human could make that sound. She hoped someone found the poor thing and put it out of its misery.

Rei was wrong because that was the sound of someone losing everything all over again. Nao crumpled to the floor throat and lungs sore, she looked so small, like the little girl she actually was. No one else was in the corridor. She was alone. Again.

XxXx

Yuuichi sat lifelessly in front of her and Shiho couldn't have been more happy if she tried. She sat the bowl of noodle soup down in front of him and he stared at it dully. He had told her he had broken up with Mai but not why. Then again she didn't really care because he was all hers!

She gently scoped the bread into the soup and held it to his lips he took it mechanically mistakenly getting Shiho's fingers in his mouth. He didn't reacted simply pulled the bread away from her and ate it. She sat there stunned before she slowly raised her fingers to place them on her mouth. Indirect kiss.

She was almost bursting with joy as she continued to feed Yuuichi receiving many more indirect kisses. All her wishes were coming true.

XxXx

Mai wondered the empty school hugging herself tightly only occasionally meeting another student. They were either as lost as she was barley noting her or they were the kind she really hated, those blissfully happy people that had just got everything they wanted.

She had lost everything important to her. Yuuichi wouldn't talk to her when she tried and she couldn't even be around Mikoto without feeling sick. She had abused that girls trust so thoroughly with desires she didn't even know she had. She heard all about the Perfect World when she was passing a store with the TV on. Somewhere deep down she must have wanted Mikoto, the thought that it was Mikoto that wanted her never crossed her mind as she was far to young and innocent for that.

Not innocent now is she? She closed her eyes against that nasty voice. She had walked so she could avoid listening to it. When it was time for school she made her way to the campus instinctively not really paying attention. She was the only one in her class that turned up today.

She banged into someone and was about to just walk on uncaring when she noticed the familiar black suit. "Reito?"

"Oh hello Mai-san" Reito's voice was controlled and his face expressionless. The lack of charming smile was probably the biggest indicator that he was falling apart just like she was.

"You too huh?" she laughed humourlessly.

He hesitated, he must have been really put out if she could read him so easily, then nodded. His chest sagged from its proud stance as he slumped on a nearby bench. A bench like she and Yuuichi had ended up on in the Perfect World. She felt tears in her eyes.

"I just wanted someone to love me for once," Reito said sadly his head bowed. He couldn't see Mai's heart broken expression but if he did he would see it mirrored his own.

"I just wanted too much," she sobbed and Reito's instincts to protect and comfort kicked in. He stood from the bench and gathered the sobbing girl in his arms. Together they cried for their broken dreams.

XxXx

Shizuru walked down the cold sterile hallway the man in white could barley keep up with her stride. Her long cream coat billowing out behind her making her stride seem that much more important. She had gotten the phone call just as she was about to board the plane for Kyoto, she thought it best to leave especially after everything that happened in the so called Perfect World.

She stopped at the widow at the end of the hall where she was told Natsuki would be. The man in white, Setsuna, was glad for her to stop but hung back not wanting to intrude it was hard seeing loved ones on the table.

Natsuki lay there as if asleep one man in white milling about the room unaffected and uncaring that her entire reason to live was laying on his table.

"It looks like they just finished sowing her up," Setsuna pointed out needlessly as she could see for herself where the stitches that marred Natsuki's lovely skin. Her perfect expanse of soft skin was suddenly broken by stitches that had no right to be there. She ached to see Natsuki who was usually so full of life laying inactive on a metal table her hair dull and lacking its usual volume and shine.

"I want to see her." her voice was calm, neutral.

He knew what she meant and nodded "I'll have her dressed and put into one of the rooms."

She waited and nearly reached out to stop the people pushing Natsuki past her. Instead she followed behind them controlled ever so controlled. She waited until they came out of the room before entering herself. The room wasn't the usual hospital white but a pale blue that made her feel even colder than the ice that gripped her stomach.

She sat on the plastic chair provided and slowly reached out to touch Natsuki's hand. So cold. She intertwined their fingers and Setsuna felt like he was intruding on a private moment.

"If thats all...?" he coughed anxious to be away and give the regal woman her privacy. He hated this part of his job.

"Was she in any pain?"

He wanted to lie. He wanted to sugar coat the truth for the hurting woman before him but the amber eyes that locked into his wouldn't let him. "Yes she was. The truck dragged her over the edge causing multiple contu-scrapes and even damage to the tissue. Her leathers would have prevented her from feeling most of the friction but she still suffered multiple burns before she was dragged over the edge. The only reason we were able to recover her body was because she somehow fell onto a ledge on the cliff face. The landing which would have broke most of her ribs puncturing her lungs, then she would have had to lay there an-" he cut himself off at Shizuru's sharply raised hand. She didn't want to hear anymore. He left quietly hoping she would be alright.

"All that and you still have the prettiest face I've ever seen," she smiled weakly at Natsuki's unmoving form longing for her to wake up and blush brightly at her comment. Wanted her to wake up and hit her for trying to leave or kiss her for staying, anything, just to wake up.

She thought that this was the part she was supposed to break down in tears but they never came. She sat in the quiet room trying to digest all the information she was given. Would this be what the rest of her life was like? This eternal quiet?

Natsuki farted. It was a loud disgusting fart that she seemed rather proud of. Shizuru looked at the bed in disgust as Natsuki rolled towards her still sleeping grin on her face drool on her chin. The pain of moving seemed to wake her as she grimace and her eyes fluttered open. Shizuru forgot her disgust for a moment to smile softly at the injured girl, then got up to open a window because it really smelled.

"Shizuru your not with Reito are you?" Natsuki tried to say but her mouth was rather dry so ended up coughing instead. Shizuru helped her drink and swiped at the water that was left on her lips. She got out a handkerchief and dabbed at the drool on Natsuki's chin. Natsuki repeated her question urgently.

"No I'm with Natsuki now," she teased softly.

"you know what I mean!" she tried to raise herself but her body let her know right and sharpish that that wasn't a good idea. She sunk into the pillows like a dead weight.

"No I'm not with Reito," she proceeded to tell Natsuki all about the Perfect World though half way through her telling the other girl nodded along with her seeming to remember it herself. "So Natsuki kissed me, what does that mean for us now?" it was a question she had been burning to ask.

"I don't want you to be with Reito," She took a deep breath and willed herself not to blush "because I want you to be with me."

"Ara Natsuki wants me as her girlfriend I'm so honoured!"

"Shizuru! I'm serious!" she pouted and crossed her arms. Shizuru always teased her.

"As am I, Natsuki" Shizuru took her hand all playfulness gone from her tone. She blushed as Shizuru came to sit on the bed with her brushing her long hair from her face. She cupped the back of her head and tilted her face up towards her. Natsuki's eyes fluttered shut as she waited to be kissed she could feel Shizuru's breath on her mouth and when time passed and no contact was made she opened her eyes.

"Eager aren't we?"

Before Natsuki could get annoyed Shizuru was kissing her and it was much better than the kiss she had given her in the garden. She moaned in approval but it soon turned into pain as her injuries told her she had been upright to long. They broke apart and she slumped back into her pillows exhausted.

"I guess we shouldn't be doing this so soon after Natsuki's surgery," Shizuru fluffed the pillows and settled back into her seat.

"Shizuru what happened, how did I survive?" a sudden thought struck her and she bolted upright or tried to anyway "the truck driver and Mr Nakamura are they okay?!"

"Settle down Natsuki," she toyed with comments about needing to tie her down and her bondage fetish but seeing how serious she looked she controlled herself "Your own survival was lucky you will have permeate scars and maybe even a limp. Mr Nakamura and his family will survive with no long term damage."

Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief before realising Shizuru didn't answer her question fully "and what about the truck driver?"

She stared at Natsuki and without words told her what had happened. She closed her eyes tightly "is there anyone to call?" she asked sadly.

"No his wife died in child birth last year and he seemed to have to other family," She reached for Natsuki's hand and sat together in silence.

"I want you to stay with me Shizuru," she didn't want her to go to Kyoto and Shizuru seemed to understand that as she raised their joint hands and kissed Natsuki's palm. "Always" she said softly after all why would she leave now when she had finally got everything she had ever wished for.

XxXx

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! There were some interesting theories if Natsuki was right to do what she did which kept me thinking. Though the general consensus was ShizNats! Anything and everything for ShizNats!

I defy you to tell me you didn't feel for Nao and Youko! Next chapter is the last…I think, I'm pretty sure!


	8. Chapter 8

Natsuki laid some fruit down on the grave titled Inou Kenji. She didn't know what the truck drivers favourite fruit was so she played it safe and got him oranges because everyone likes oranges.

"Sorry I can have lunch today I got roped into this friend gathering thing," she told the headstone apologetically. "I'll come by next month and stay for longer, I'll bring Shizuru as well to keep the conversation going so its not just me sounding like a mad woman." she felt a bit awkward talking to the unresponsive stone and turned to walk away.

She moved back to her car. Selling her bike was probably one of the hardest things she had to do but she made herself a promise not to joyride anymore and knew she wouldn't be able to keep to it if she kept her bike. After all her dangerous driving had already gotten one person killed. The thing she liked about the car though was that it was far more comfortable to sit in when it rained and it had a large back seat for her and Shizuru to act like the teenagers they were.

"God damn it would you move!" she thumped the dash board angrily, honestly who the hell invented gear sticks? She eventually got the car to go forward like she wanted and once again wished for her bike back. She never got stuck in traffic jams with that.

XxXx

Youko stirred annoyed from her sleep as the banging on her door increased. She groggily wiped the sleep from her puffy eyes and shuffled to the door an old grey throw wrapped around her shoulders hiding her mismatched pyjamas from view.

"yes?" she yawned opening the door only to be thrown backwards onto her bum.

"YOUKO ITS CHRISTMAAAAASSS!!" Midori burst into the room framed by the door grinning. Under both her arms she held two six packs of beer and in her hands another two six packs "well its Christmas eve anyway." Midori bounced passed the startled Youko to throw herself down on the couch "close the door its getting cold in here!"

Dazedly Youko got up and closed the door "Midori what are you doing here?" if she sounded surprised it was because she was. They had not spoken or seen each other since the truth about the world came out. Youko just couldn't face her and Midori had so far complied with her wishes to stay away, until now that is.

"Its Christmas Eve I always spend Christmas with you," Midori smiled as she put the beer on the coffee table "There's more in the car these were all I could carry."

Youko shook her head and wrapped the blanket around her tighter "Yes but that was before..."

Midori's shoulders slumped and she replaced the beer that she was about to drink "your just not going to let me do this huh?" she wanted to come in here and pretend like nothing had changed. She wanted to go back to how she and Youko used to be before the whole Perfect World or even how they were during it because these last few days without the other woman were hell. It was like she was walking around trying to do everything with her left hand when she was right handed. She could do it just not as good as she could have with her right. Youko was her right hand. "I hoped ignoring the awkwardness would make it go away but I should have figured a tight pants like you wouldn't let me."

"Midori..." she stopped because she had absolutely no idea what to say. Why was this so hard?

"Youko can't we just drink? It'll be like old times and we'll feel a lot better and I-" she looked up sadly into the doctors eyes, this was probably the most honest she had ever been in her life " I miss you."

Youko stayed there in her hallway for an excruciating few seconds before her entire body slumped. She threw of her blanket and strode to the couch with a smile. It wasn't an award winning smile and the happiness wasn't all genuine but it was the best she could come up with and Midori seemed to appreciate it. "You better not have got none of that light stuff I told you before that that crap was banned in my house!"

"No I wouldn't dare after the last time!" Midori threw Youko a beer her own grin wasn't fully honest either but they were both trying. "Come on lets check out those bad Christmas movies and make fun of them!"

"Oh like we did last Christmas and the Christmas before that..." Youko's smile this time was genuine because she had missed Midori as well. She popped her can open only for it to spill all over her. She screamed as her comfy mismatched pyjamas become soaked and Midori instead of throwing her head back in obnoxious laughter like she would have done last Christmas tucked her hand into her sleeve and tried to help Youko wipe the spilt beer up.

"Damn it Midori! I swear if you did that on purpose I'm going to kill you!" She glared at her annoying friend who in the process of drying her froze. Youko stopped slightly confused until the burning heat of her upper thigh told her were Midori's hand was.

Midori froze as she was trying to help Youko. It had been an instinctive thing to do, in the past the Perfect World past, she had did things like that frequently so it must have become a habit. She was slightly embarrassed to find that her hands hand travelled to Youko's upper and inner thigh but there was a wet patch there left by the over flowing beer and at the time she didn't think nothing of wiping it but now so close to Youko's sex she felt extremely embarrassed and awkward. The stiff breathing from above her told her Youko felt the same. And things had been going so well too.

"Your supposed to get it in your mouth Youko not on your cro-legs," Midori retreated to the safety of her side of the couch and tried to goon as normal.

"Well if your bad driving didn't shake the cans all over the place I might get the chance to drink them," Youko continued with forced cheer snatching at the remote and savagely pressing the buttons to find something to watch and mock.

"My driving is much better than yours," Midori said quietly the earlier mood of almost no awkwardness shattered replaced with tense silence filled only by the chopped sounds of channel surfing.

They needed a lot more beers...

XxXx

Midori laughed loudly as yet another contestant fell to his doom in Takeshi's castle. They had watched all the bad Christmas shows till the earlier hours of Christmas morning and somewhere around Midori's third trip to the car had switched to game shows. Their old mutual friend beer had soon gotten them into quite a friendly atmosphere all earlier tension gone.

She turned to point out the flaws in the next guys costume, he was a badly dressed transformer, when she saw Youko head hanging of the side of the couch drool coming out of her mouth fast asleep. Huh wonder when that happened. Deciding that she too would call it a night a slightly (only slightly!) drunk Midori wobbled to her feet. She managed to get there on her fourth try and as she bent down to pick Youko up she nearly fell on top of her. The idea that she might be to drunk to carry the other woman to their bed entered into her head but was quickly discarded because nothing as little as a few paints of beer could stop a HiME Ranger! She slid her arms under the other woman and took a deep breath and braced herself.

HiME POWER!

she staggered to the bedroom glad Youko's apartment wasn't that big because even her super HiME POWER was feeling the strain under her girlfriends weight. She frowned at that thought something about it just not right. She sat Youko as gently as she could onto her side of the bed and was about to leave her friend to go sleep on the couch when Youko reached out and grabbed her.

"Stay" she murmured still half asleep.

Midori nodded despite the fact Youko never opened her eyes. She tottered to her side and did what she usually did before she crawled into bed with Youko. She crossed over so that she could wrap her arms around the other woman and was nearly asleep herself when Youko stirred.

"Midori?"

"hhmm?"

"Your not my girlfriend anymore so put your pants back on and take your hand off my breast."

That startled Midori awake slightly and sure enough she had on no underwear and her right hand was groping her friend. Also their legs were intimately entangled but Youko never mentioned that.

"Sorry, force of habit I guess, damn thing has a mind of its own" she removed her offending limbs and reached over Youko to get to the bottom drawer of her cabinet. She pulled out a comfy pair of scrub pants that Youko used when she used to be an intern. There was no way she was sleeping in her jeans.

It wasn't until she was about to flop back that she realised how close to the other woman she was. Youko stared up at her wide eyed pressed flat against the mattress their bodies moulding into each other with familiarity. Midori remembered the last time they were in this position thought Youko had her head thrown back and her face scrunched up. There was no denying that Youko looked funny when she was about to come. Her eyebrows drew together wrinkling her forehead and her eyes squeezed shut her lips pulling back to bare her teeth in a demented smile and her long white neck straining backwards. It was funny in a super sexy way.

They both seemed to be thinking along the same lines and their breathing was shaky. She wanted to kiss Youko, wanted to lower her head and taste her neck and any part of her skin, wanted to feel slime hands tangle in her hair and hear her friends usually bossy voice crack and moan. She almost did but stopped herself because it wouldn't be fair to Youko. Who knew if what she felt was just the lingering desires from the prefect world? like her taking her underwear off and thinking of Youko's bedroom as 'theirs'? She couldn't hurt her friend again. Even now thinking about how broken Youko seemed when she found out that their relationship was a sham was enough to cool her desire. She rolled over and put on the scrub pants. Youko sighed in relief or maybe disappointment.

"Youko?" She asked a little while later not really expecting answer.

"Hhmm?"

"Would you go out on a date with me?"

"No," was the short and quick reply. Her ego was bruised.

"Oh, Why not?"

"'Cus I said so."

"But whyyyy?" she whined as she rolled over and buried her face in Youko's neck. Her ego was taking a series hit here.

"Because your love that professor" Youko said sounding as if she would rather be asleep.

"But can't we try anyway?" was her voice really that whiney?

"No face it Midori your one of those disgusting straight people" Youko joked as Midori slung a leg around her. She would love nothing more than to say yes but Midori loved the Professor and even if she didn't her friend was straight.

"But I can change!" she laughed into Youko's neck "you can save me."

"It was your own choice you should live with it," youko turned on her side and Midori moved with her. The other woman was now pressed against her back.

"Awww damn do I really have to?" her arm slid around Youko's waist pulling them closer together.

"Yes now go to sleep," it was unfair to expect somebody who drank as much as them to stay up this long.

"Okay good night Youko,"

"Night Midori."

there was silence through out the apartment filled only by soft breathing and the occasional ruffling of sheets. Sometime later in the quite a soft voice spoke but wasn't loud enough to disturb the night.

"Hand, Midori."

"Sorry, Youko."

XxXx

Chie cried out and jerked for a final time before falling limply backwards. She lay at the foot of Aoi's bed head staring straight ahead and mind off in a nice white floaty land that required nothing as exhausting as thought or breathing or moving in general. Aoi crawled up beside her and rubbed her smug smile into Chie's shoulder so as the other girl wouldn't see it. Truth be told she was feeling mighty proud of herself, that had to have been the loudest she had heard Chie scream ever. If God somehow didn't hear her the first two time he definitely heard her the last.

"So," Aoi raised her head to hover over Chie who still looked dazed and said in engrish "who's your daddy?"

Chie was dragged from her floaty land by the comment and curled in on herself with laughter. Tears streamed down her face as she happily smushed Aoi to her "never say that to me again."

Aoi laughed as she settled on top on Chie "come on tell me how much I rocked your world!"

"Oh yea Aoi you rocked my universe, your the best I ever had baby," Chie's eyes sparkled as she laughed and her voice was bursting with happiness as she continued "they never knew what sex was until you reinvented it" she couldn't keep a straight face and started laughing all over again.

"Yeah yeah you sound like your joking but I know the truth," Aoi shifted on top of Chie to give her room to get her breath back "you are so my bitch."

"Stop Aoi just stop I can't take anymore," Chie actually had to roll away from Aoi and drag big lungfuls of air into herself to keep from suffocating on her laughter. When it seemed as if she wouldn't be in danger anymore Aoi rolled her back and settled down to wrap herself around her girlfriend. She gently rolled with the aftershocks of Chie's laughter and sighed contentedly.

"So I'm the best girlfriend in the world huh? You love me so much huh?" Aoi looked up at Chie but didn't raise her head from her shoulder "I'm, Oh God, it, for you?" she repeated everything that Chie had cried out in passion back to the other girl who's face shifted from deliriously happy to horrified embarrassment "you like my jelly thighs?"

Chie's face flushed at the last one while Aoi grinned evilly at her. It should be illegal for things you cry out while making love to be used against you or even remembered by your partner. She contemplated what to say that wouldn't lead to her having to relocate to a hole in the desert when Aoi buried her face in her shoulder and seemed to take pity on her. "That's okay Chie I like your jelly bits as well."

Chie wrapped her arms around Aoi and snuggled in contented to go to sleep. They really should get up and get a shower and air out the room but that just seemed like sooooo much work that the thought nearly sent Chie to sleep in exhaustion.

It had been such a wonderful date. It was Aoi's turn to take her out so she showed up to her room dressed in her best slacks and shirt and paid Nao to stay away for the night. Nothing really changed much when it was Aoi's turn to take her out, she still found herself paying for things, the only difference was Aoi got to choose where she spent her money.

Aoi greeted her at the door with a chaste kiss on the cheek and off they went for a romantic mean. Or that's what she thought anyway. Instead of a romantic meal Aoi took her to McDonalds and to make it worse she didn't even let her sit in. Though she would have felt stupid sitting in McDonalds dressed as nicely as she was. They sat on a bench across the street from a love motel eating their food.

"Have to say Aoi not that impressed," Chie bit into her Big Mac and stared at Aoi "after I took you to that fancy French place last week and had candles and music and all that other romantic crap and when its your turn you take me to McDonalds a park bench and even made me pay for the food. I'm not feeling the love."

Aoi sipped her coke unconcerned and said "you will, wait and see." she then reached into her bag and pulled out to caps one pink and the other a dark green. She put the pink one on herself and handed Chie the green one. Chie hesitated because it didn't really go with her outfit but when Aoi waved at her annoyed she stuck it on her head moodily.

So they sat there in silence Chie waiting for the date to get better when Touga Hino captain of Fuuka's baseball team walked down the street and stopped in front of the motel. He was the star pitcher or something Chie didn't really know much about baseball but knew he was popular and going out with Mina Kanzake a model who's popularity in school was only revival by Shizuru's when she attended. Now that Shizuru was out of the way however Mina had claimed the heart of Fuuka Academy as her own. Chie watch curiously pulling the cap down to obscure her face as Touga glanced around him. He seemed to be waiting on someone. A few minutes later another student Mika wondered down the street. Chie winced at the other boys appearance he would no doubt scare Touga away or she would be forced to watch another Touga vs. Mika match. It was widely known that those two boy's hated each other and took every opportunity to show it. Mika was bitter that Touga had become captain of the baseball team instead of him and Touga hated that Mika didn't admit that he was better than him. It had lead to some titanic clashes in the hallways.

The two boys spotted each other and didn't waste time. They start screaming at each other loud enough that Chie could make out every word they said to each other. It was the usual really, your mothers a slut and your dad's a bum nothing really new. Just when it looked like the boys would come to blow Mika's younger brother the more delicate and girly Jun dragged his brother away.

"Is that what you wanted me to see?" Chie asked but Aoi was frowning then hurriedly hit her arm furiously pointing back to Touga.

Touga was still standing there red faced when Jun came back. What was that poor boy doing there? Touga was twice the size and weight of the shy boy. Chie's watched as Touga shouted in a lower tone at Jun then her jaw dropped as he suddenly deflated and put his arm around the smaller boy and together they walked into the love motel.

"Oh wow," her eyes were as big as saucers as she turned to Aoi who seemed to sit there smugly sipping her coke "you knew?! you knew that Touga was cheating on Mina with his rival's little brother?!" She couldn't help the stunned tone of her voice. This was the gossip of the centaury!

"Yep Jun's my art buddy and he wanted my advice since he knew we were together," Aoi smiled at her and removed her pink cap. Ever since the Perfect World they were more open about their relationship. "You can't say anything of course until their ready but Jun's agreed to give you first scoop."

"I love you," Chie said because that seemed to be the only thing she could say. This was the best date ever! Aoi smiled and nodded quite happy with herself "I know" she said getting up of the bench extending her hand to Chie "not such a bad date now am I?" she laughed.

Aoi had plans of ice cream and a movie afterward but Chie had dragged her home to show how much she had really enjoyed her date. They had only mentally scared two juniors with their display in the elevator so Chie counted the date as fantastic.

And now she was just about to drift of to sleep with the most wonderful woman in her arms when she was shocked away in indignation.

"What 'jelly bits?!'"

XxXx

Haruka sat in her room or what used to be it anyway. All around her were brown boxes and black bags labelled with her life. She sat on the naked bed and stared, this was were she had been happiest. Her father had agreed to take her back or more like had his secretary phone her and tell her that the things She had done in the Perfect World would by the good grace of her father be forgotten about. She was putting her withdrawal notice into the academy tomorrow and re enrolling in college the next day.

She hated business. All the underhanded deals and back stabbing coupled with bad communication she didn't want to be apart of such an organisation. She was a Suzushiro the only direct heir to the company she couldn't abandon her duty to her family. This might actually make her father proud of her.

there was a soft knock on her door. Kenji hung half suspended in the entrance. He was her mentor at the academy and had helped her out more than anyone else in her life had. He had given her a place to stay when her father disowned her and she would always be grateful to the big man for that. Now that she was female he seemed even larger and thicker but he still had the nice blue eyes and easy smile of the man that had won her respect. "Can I come in?"

She nodded and he entered followed by his brother Tanki whom she hated. He was just as big as Kenji but had none of his brothers warmth. It amazed her how two different people siblings or not could get along so well. Tanki was a womanizer and out and out pig. what little manners he had he never wasted them on people he deemed lower than himself which if you weren't apart of his family was very few.

"How's the he she doing?" he grinned nastily and perched himself on a dresser. She glared at him and was spared from retaliating when his brother smacked him on the head before turning a seat backwards straddling it. "how are you doing Haruka?"

Kenji's eyes held nothing but concern but even so she couldn't bring herself to confess her conflicted feelings to him. She just nodded and said fine.

"You know if you want to stay here I would like that," Kenji spoke softly placing his head on the back of the chair so they were at eye level.

"He would like it even more if you brought that girl of yours 'round as well," Tanki grinned but flinched as she dove towards him. He was saved only by the quick reflexes of his brother who was used to stopping people trying to kill him.

"Don't you dare bring Yukino into this!" she glared at a still grinning Tanki over one of Kenji's thick arms. a bastard like him shouldn't even be allowed to say her name.

"Oh yeah I forgot you broke up with the little thing," he then rolled his eyes "how could I forget the tears? on and on, Oh and the phone calls 'I will always love you Haruka-chan'" he snorted and paid no head to the woman who looked murderous. She looked like she was going to break away from Kenji any moment, not something many people could brag about, so he threw her on the bed. The room was saved from become a crime scene when Tanki's phone went off.

"Yo, the good looking Senous brother speaking, what's up?" he listened for a few seconds before passing the phone to his brother "moving men are coming now so Blondie better start shifting these boxes herself because I'm not helping."

"like I would want your help!" she glared at him as he jumped from the dresser and kicked a box out of his way needlessly before exiting.

"Yes 15 minutes away? No problem we'll be ready," He closed the phone and sat it down on her desktop and once again turned to look earnestly at her "are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, but thank you for everything you've done for me," she paused but the forged ahead "it meant a lot to me."

He smiled and caught her up in a bear hug. She kicked and flailed not used to this but it had no effect of the big man who held her until he had gotten his fill of cuddles. "Its going to take me awhile to get a new tenant so the doors still open if you change your mind." then he left carrying one of the bigger boxes.

She had a small smile on her face despite being manhandled. She felt glad that she had met Kenji because he was a wonderful person. The mobile phone went off again and she hesitated not knowing what to do. It stopped before she could decide so she turned to her boxes again only to be interrupted by it a second time.

"Tanki's not here right now-" she began but was cut of by Yukino's voice.

"-I know, I was actually phoning my best friend because you see I have a problem," Yukino's voice sounded nervous and she wanted to fix her problems regardless of their last meeting "I kissed the girl of my dreams and she kissed me back..." Yukino paused as if waiting for her to say something but she waited in silence instead so the nervous voice continued "...that's not the problem in fact it was very good the happiest moment of my life actually, it was when we stopped she ah she pushed me away and..." her breath hitched on the other side of the line and Haruka gripped the phone tighter. She had been avoiding Yukino's calls and knocks on her door because she thought, thinks, she's doing the right thing by staying away from her. She could hear how much pain leaked through the other girls voice and into her words "...she won't see me anymore, why do you think that is?"

"Maybe," her voice broke so she had to try again "maybe she thinks that its the best way to protect you"

"Well I have to say that her protection hurts a lot worse," Yukino's voice was thinly controlled just like her own. "Her father came to visit me..."

Her head was reeling from all the emotions that Yukino invoked "what did he want?" her voice was frightened of the answer.

"He gave me a million dollars to stay away from you," her voice laughed in tortured disbelief.

Haruka gripped the phone harder fearing if she let go Yukino would slip away from her "did you take it?" her voice was strained.

"Its sitting here in my room in a briefcase," Yukino sounded tortured "I don't know what to do."

"Yukino," she breathed but had no idea what to say because this was what she wanted for Yukino to stay away. but she had only planned for her to stay away long enough for her to stop being in love with the wonderful girl so as they could go back to being friends.

"That's not all," she didn't think she could take anymore of this, she gripped her desktop for support "he's offering me a place in Harvard business school next semester."

"But Yukino that's in America!" she shouted as if the woman wouldn't have known that.

"I know!" Yukino cried "its an amazing opportunity that I would never be able to do on my own," her voice seemed to finally crack as Haruka could hear the tears "my family isn't as rich as yours Haruka and with the store struggling that money could really help my parents."

"Yukino..." her voice was soft a tone she had never spoken in before "what-what about me?"

The tears on the other line grew thicker "I don't know, Haruka this is what you want isn't it?" Yukino sounded as if she was trying to get control of herself "I love you but you keep rejecting me and I don't think I can be that brave anymore." there was a click as Yukino hung up.

Yukino! Yukino! she cried in her own head but the words wouldn't make it passed the lump in her throat. She couldn't let Yukino leave her, she was the only bright spot in the dismal life that lay ahead of her. She...loved her. She dialled the number to her fathers private line.

"I am very busy Haruka so make this quick," came the clipped voice.

"Father, why did you do that to Yukino?" she asked voice hard.

"Yukino? Who the hell?" there was a brief pause and some shuffling of notes "oh that girl you took up with, I took care of her she wont go to the press about this and soon will be out of your life forever. No need to thank me."

She gripped the phone hard enough to make it crack and thought good its that bastard Tanki's anyway "I don't want her out of my life forever!" she felt mild hysteria coming on as this was the first time she had raised her voice to her father "She loves me I love her! I wouldn't be with her because I knew you would disapprove! And now you take away the one person that loves me for who I am..."

"That shows the extent of her bad taste then doesn't it?" came her father cool voice. She felt her knees buckle she fell on the bed dazed. All she had wanted her whole life was for this man to like her, not love her or even be proud of her, but just maybe acknowledge her. Know that in the house full of strangers, that was her childhood home, that she was his and he thought she was ok. Now to hear so blatantly what she had always known...

"I love you Dad but she loves me more," she flipped the phone closed and threw it behind her "and I love her more too."

She rushed down the stairs and out the door. Tanki and Kenji were on the lawn arguing, Kenji was probably trying to get Tanki to help with the boxes and he was loudly refusing. "Kenji!" she called still running "keep those moving men away from my stuff! Tanki! get the car keys your driving me to Fuuka!" as much as she loathed the other man he was the fastest driver out of them all. And he owned the police car.

"Like hell I a-ow!" Tanki started to refuse but the twin sets of glares and the big meaty hand that had just hit him forced him to reconsider. He moved moodily to the car, well at least he like to drive.

"You go girl!" Kenji called sounding a little bit gay as he did so, uncaring he waved his big paws after the flashing car that was now swerving dangerously about the road.

"Out of the way!" Tanki yelled at an old woman driver, oh he really hated those. Haruka was gripping her seat belt and hanging on for her life. She didn't know where the urgency was coming from it wasn't as if Yukino was about to board the plane right that very minute, but she felt as that if she didn't get to her right now she would never be able to get to her. She could feel her slipping further and further away and had to stop it now. She also didn't know if she would have the courage to defy her gather again and was trying to outrun the panic that that thought had created "I thought you said two girls screwing each other was wrong?" Tanki turned to look at her giving her a heart attack.

"Eyes on the road! On the road!" she squealed grabbing at the wheel so they avoided a passing car. "Two girls screwing each other is wrong but me loving Yukino is the best thing I could ever do!"

"Isn't that hypeicritcal or something?" Tanki yelled back at her over the sound of the sirens.

"Its hypocritical! and no she makes me a better person!" then she laughed at the fact that _she _had corrected someone else's speech. Yukino really was good for her.

"So its bad two girls fucking but okay for them to love?" he swerved to the left sharply to avoid a bicycle "Bastards! The roads are for cars!"

"Yeah! loving makes it right!" she yelled back as she lurched towards him. Damn she thinks she bruised her shoulder on that swerve.

"Funny I think the opposite," He yelled back going faster if that was even possible "two girls fucking is great but the love stuff is just between men and women!"

"Then why are you helping me?" she yelled confused.

"Because Aoi would kick my ass if I didn't!" he stopped dead nearly throwing them both through the wind screen. "And its not as if your a real girl anyway Shim" he turned the sirens off so he didn't have to yell.

"Thanks!" she shouted anyway just to see him wince. She grinned suddenly thinking maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought. That lasted a whole five seconds as he leered at a passing school girl and she thought she had stumbled upon the real reason he drove her here. She threw the car door open and took of sprinting towards the dorms. She could still remember the way and knew every security lock and camera. Not that she would need to break in or she hoped not anyway.

Yukino sat at her table staring at the open brief case. It was the largest amount of money she had ever seen in real life. It could wipe out her family's debt and still give them money to reinvest in their small food store. The only price was Haruka.

She couldn't believe she was even think about taking it. A year ago had the offer been made she would have flat out refused but a year ago she hadn't been so thoroughly rejected by Haruka and her family owned a successful store. She let out a sigh an reached out to touch the money her hand hovered over it afraid that if she touched it she would make her decision and have to leave Haruka.

She didn't even want to go to America! She didn't like their food and couldn't speak the language but it was such a big opportunity that she couldn't just let it go because it wasn't what she wanted. She had always expected to be a secretary or something else that meant a great deal of work behind the scenes that gave no thanks. She had always wanted to be Haruka's secretary when she took over her fathers business but when Haruka had quite and become an officer all she wanted to do was take over her fathers store and provide a welcoming place for Haruka. She wanted to be her wife...

She just wanted Haruka.

Now she ugh she threw her hands up and went to stick the kettle on glad her dorm mate was out. She like the girl well enough it was just that her primary focus in life was politics and Yukino had no real interest in it unless it effected business which would effect Haruka. When had her life come to revolve so solely around the blonde girl she wondered and why wasn't she as upset as she thought she should be?

Damn Perfect World she thought as she took out a cup she wouldn't be in this position now if it wasn't for that. She also wouldn't know how Haruka tasted or how she kissed either so it wasn't all that bad. Yukino whirled sharply around as her locked door flew open with a bang. She stepped out of the kitchen area just in time for Haruka who was still filled with momentum from breaking the door down to crash into her.

They landed hard the carpet doing nothing to cushion their fall. The tea cup that Yukino had been holding smashed against the far wall over their heads. Haruka looked flushed and out of breath she managed to lever herself up enough for Yukino not to be squashed and looked down at the girl. Yukino's glasses were askew and she was looked rather dazed from the fall. Her hair was a mess and strands fell here and there across her face her lips were parted in a surprised oh and Haruka just had to kiss her.

"I want to protect you, I want to take care of you, I want to help you and your family and I want to love you," she said hurriedly afraid the words would escape her. She buried her face in Yukino's neck and breathed deeply, she was fighting of her tears. "I don't want you to go!"

Yukino placed her hand on the back of Haruka's head and the other on her back pressing them together. She wanted all that as well. But her family-"Haruka-" she said sadly.

"No! I don't care! I'll get a job I'll pay of the debt your family owes! I'll do anything if it means that you won't leave!" She still had enough pride in her that she didn't say leave me. But she hugged the other girl harder wanting her to agree. She had never wanted anything so bad in her life. "you don't like American food! you think English sound horrible! you get sick flying planes and have terrible hay fever I don't know why that's elephant er I mean relevant but you do! You hate people with no manners and Yukino its America, no one has manners there!"

Yukino listened to Haruka's babble quite flattered that it was her that brought out this adorable quality in Haruka. "Will you be mine Haruka?" she asked quietly.

Haruka lifted her face and despite her best efforts they were red and puffy. This is were she should say something horribly romantic and embarrassing but she couldn't get the words out. She didn't even know the words so she just nodded frantically. She was always better at actions.

Yukino smiled up at her just gazing in wonder at Haruka who was well wonderful and who wanted her. "I love you Haruka."

"Does that mean you'll stay?" she said hopefully. Yukino nodded and Haruka's smile split her face. They lay there on the floor ignoring the sounds of the boiled kettle and those that passed by the broken door. Yukino turned her face and Haruka gently kissed it none made a move to leave or do anything other than be together.

XxXx

Haruka and Yukino entered Haruka's old new room at Kenji's hand in hand. Haruka stopped as a man in a business suit got up from her bed. He was just a little taller than her and his black suit seemed glossy it was such a deep shade which made the white shirt and violet tie stand out much more. The suit itself was probably worth more than Kenji's whole house. The man himself was firm and his figure displayed non of his fifty six years. The face however did as it was engraved with deep lines and harsh black eyes and the hair that was once as blonde as Haruka's was now white instead of grey.

"Suzushiro-san," Yukino bowed followed more stiffly by Haruka.

"So this is the girl you threw away a fortune for?" he scrutinised Yukino until Haruka stepped in front of her.

"Yes sir it is," she tensed ready for a fight but was totally unprepared for her father launching forward and grabbing her in a head lock. Haruka squawked and flailed about but it still didn't release her from her fathers hold.

"As of this moment your both engaged, She's taking your name and barring my grandkids while you are going to be the best damn police officer to hit Japan since the samurai and I will not have you two canoodleing outside marriage got that?" he tugged Haruka's bound head his face splitting into a grin. He had had to live with the disappointment of a daughter for years but what was worse was that she had no back bone. In the Perfect World he had gotten a son who could stand up to him and he was proud. Back in the Real World he wanted to see if his daughter had that quality so that was why he picked on her girlfriend. He was please to see his daughter was a true Suzushiro!

"Ow Ow!" Haruka had no idea how to take this knew development in her father. He had never touched her and certainly had never smiled at her before. He sounded positively giddy.

"But aren't you worried about losing business Shizushiro-san?" Yukino asked confused. This did not fit in to what she knew of the cold man. He was actually grinning at her.

"Hell no! The only competition my company has is Fujino and if he tries to use this against me I can always let it leak that his daughter is screwing a biker dyke!" he declared to the whole room and Yukino started to see where Haruka's loudness came from. "The company was actually attacked for being too traditional! Wait till those damn liberals get a load of this! The amount of free publicity the business will get will last years!" he cackled and release his daughter from the head lock.

"Where's my phone? Oh here it is!" he started to punch the numbers in savagely seeming to ignore the two puzzled girls "Fujino is that you? Hah your not the only one with a dyke daughter! What you didn't know? Hell your little girl has taken up with some juvenile delinquent while mine has got miss goody two shoes!" He walked out of the room continuing to talk on the phone both Haruka and Yukino were ignored "wait 'til they start their own alternative families-the press coverage I'll get will be huge! How does it feel to be stuck in the past?! Suzushiro corporations is the future!"

"Haruka I think he just outed Shizuru to her father," Yukino said dazedly she still hadn't fully recovered from the strange encounter. "So that was your father...?"

"I have no idea who that was," Haruka stilled stared after the man that looked and talked just like her father but didn't act like him at all "I like him though. He and Fujino are friends, sorta, I mean I think...I'll apologize to Shizuru next time we see her."

There was a stunned silence before Yukino turned to Haruka "So you want to get to work on those grandchildren?" she smiled at Haruka's blush. During their kissing they somehow managed to fall on the bed. Haruka was breathing heavily atop Yukino who was flushed and out of breath herself. They kissed again and Yukino's hand found itself under Haruka's shirt while Haruka sucked on her lip.

HHHHHHOOOOOOONNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Haruka jumped and bit Yukino's lip. Yukino recoiled at both the sound and the pain. Both girls turned to the door where Tanki stood with an evil grin and a fog horn. "Sorry girls but this relationships has to stay PG-13 until the wedding night, Mr Shiz's orders."

"I hope its a short engagement then," Yukino muttered rubbing her sore lip.

"Tanki I swear if you don't get out of here right now," Haruka growled moving Yukino off her to make good on her threat.

"He's right Haruka," Kenji appeared wearing an identical grin and holding another fog horn "Miss Kakukawa or should I say the future Mrs Shizushiro won't be allowed upstairs any longer, bosses orders."

Haruka growled and threw the closest thing at hand which turned out to be Tanki's phone. Both men dodged and it made a satisfying dent in the opposite wall. "That's coming out of your rent money!" Kenji said as he and Tanki stepped menacingly into the room "Get 'em!"

Both Haruka and Yukino were seized by the burly laughing men and carried downstairs protesting all the way. Now Haruka knew why Kenji and Tanki got along so well they both like to torture frustrated couples.

It was nice having new friends.

XxXx

Nao sat on the hard plastic chairs outside her mothers room. She was getting a sponge bath and Nao would at least afford her that one last dignity of not have a bigger audience that necessary. The nurses all avoided her now when they could ever since she flipped out after finding her mother back in the coma. She knew all about the damn Perfect World and was starting to even wonder if the woman she had talked to was even her mother or had she just been talking to a figment of her imagination?

She sighed and placed her head in her hands covering her face. She was all alone again and didn't think she could do this anymore. She was tired of living this half life hoping and praying her mother would wake up so she wasn't alone anymore.

"We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas!" the nurses sung jovially at their station their festive mood helped along by something extra in the punch. She glared at them but they took no notice of the sour faced girl in the corner. How could they celebrate when the entire ward was full of living dead people? That even included the visitors.

She crumpled the paper cup that had once held some sort of liquid in it, she couldn't really remember what. Throwing the cup in the bin she made her way outside for some air. She hated this place. She hated these people and she hated herself for coming here everyday to talk to a body that she wasn't even sure if it was her mother anymore. Her tough bitch reputation at school was even starting to suffer before long first years may actually ask her for help instead of running away in fear like they should.

She lay down on a bench and stared at the stars or tried to at least. The sky was covered by thick heavy clouds that threatened to snow at any moment. She didn't feel the cold that nipped at the skin her uniform didn't conceal. She didn't feel much of anything anymore.

"They were all out of blackberry so I got you cherry this time I hope that's ok" Nao's legs were lifted from the bench as a chubby young woman sat down bedside her placing a can of soda by her hand. She was smaller than Nao and heavier. She wasn't fat but could stand to loose a few pounds. That's not to say she was ugly in fact she was rather pretty but it was her constant air of cheeriness that made her prettier than she was.

Nao hated the cherry woman.

"They're all getting carried away with the Christmas spirit in there," she smiled taking no notice of Nao's irritated look "I'm not a Christian but I love all the Christmas lights and anything that celebrates fat people has to be a good thing right?" she still smiled. "Though I'm going to try and loose weight this year. I can't very well lecture people on the dangers of obesity if I'm heavier than they are!"

She wasn't obese and if Nao was in a better mood she would have said that but as it was she just let the other girl chatter on. "It's been a slow week around here which I'm glad of but us interns have been doing nothing but skivy work, its driving us mental!" She laughed softly continuing to smile despite Nao ignoring her. She watched as the other girl opened her own tin and began drinking.

Nao sat up and took her feet of the other woman's lap. She had been reclining since the start of the conversation but she was thirsty now so she checked the soda the other girl was drinking, apple. Just as the other girl was about to drink again she took the can from her hand firmly and passed her the cherry. "I don't like cherry," she explained drinking the apple. Maybe her rude behaviour would be enough to drive this woman away.

"Oh she speaks!" the girl laughed in delight not seeming to mind the theft of her juice. She waited until Nao drunk from the can before grinning wickedly "you know that's an indirect kiss?"

Nao gave her a scathing look but for some reason she didn't throw the can at her like her first impulse was. That damn cheery smile.

"Sorry my dad tells me all the time that my humour is too cheesy for most people," she grinned again not looking at all embarrassed.

"Hey doc, why do you stalk me every day?" Nao asked suddenly curiosity winning out over annoyance. People always wanted something from you but this girl didn't look smart enough to use somebody and so far had just bought her soda. It could all be an act she considered or…no, no one was that nice to total strangers out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Ah so you don't remember huh?" the other girl leaned back on the bench her soda can between her knees it was the first time Nao had seen her without a smile. Weirdly she looked naked. "In the Perfect World I was dying for a sugar fix but I left my keys in the car and I had a surgery in five minutes so wouldn't have time to run down and get it. I think I was in tears banging on the machine," she laughed at herself as she mimed banging on a vending machine "then you can along and you were so nice and gave me the money for the machine telling me to pay you back whenever, you had such a beautiful smile on you face." She then smiled at Nao who was frowning.

She didn't remember and it certainly didn't sound like something she would do. But then again in the Perfect World she was a hell of a lot happier and nicer so it might have been possible. "Well, I'm sure you've more than paid back what you owe me so you don't have to keep stalking me."

"Well, actually Nao," the other girl got up and made a big drama out of throwing her can in the bin that was only two feet away. It went in and she pumped her fist in victory "the real reason I can't leave you alone isn't because of the money. You helped me that day without needing to and until I can make you smile the way you did then your stuck with me." She cocked her head to the side and waited expecting the other girl to smile when she received nothing but a glare she winked "well at least I'm spending my time with someone cute. Same time same place tomorrow? If not I'm coming to find you"

Why did that sound like a threat? Nao eyed the other girl suspiciously as she turned to walk back to the hospital. "Hey doc what did you say your name was?"

"Its Rei," she called waving goodbye and entered the hospital. Rei huh? Nao didn't know how she felt about the other girl stalking her but if she seemed real enough she would have plenty of time to find out. Same time same place? Nao settled down on the bench not quite ready to go back inside. It might have been a trick of the light but the corners of her mouth were quirked upwards slightly. Probably a reflex action.

XxXx

"Merry Christmas Nastuki," Shizuru whispered in her ear as she passed to sit on the other side of the sofa. They were in Shizuru's dorm room ready to exchange gifts. Natsuki wasn't actually worried because she knew her gift would make Shizuru go through the roof. Her smug expression told Shizuru as much and she smiled indulgently back at her girlfriend who was looking far to pleased with herself.

"Ready?" Shizuru said and Natsuki nodded still fingering the red papered parcels in her lap and they exchanged gifts and Shizuru instead of doing what Natsuki assumed she would do, i.e. find an un taped corner and peel away the paper neatly, tore into her gift with zeal. Natsuki was slightly taken aback by this but then wondered why because Shizuru had first undressed her that way last night. Her red jumper could never be worn again thanks to her girlfriend.

"Oh Natsuki!" Shizuru exclaimed as the digitally remastered face of Captain Kirk stared up at her from the DvD cover.

She accepted her hug with a please smile proud that she didn't blush at Shizuru's adoring tone. "open mine now!" her girlfriend, she loved thinking that, exclaimed.

She opened her gift with more reservation as her girlfriend did happen to be Shizuru...She frowned. "What is it?"

"Take it out!" Shizuru waited eagerly.

She did so only to find that Shizuru had bought her a uniform...with pointy ears? She glanced down at the cover of the DvD case and back at the uniform top. Yep same thing. She looked at Shizuru who had taken out the bottoms and nearly fainted. The trousers were crotchless.

"Natsuki! come out it was only a joke," Shizuru called through the bathroom door where her somewhat sensitive girlfriend had locked herself into.

"No!" come the hot reply "I went out of my way to find you a nice thoughtful gift and you give me that!"

"Ara Natsuki if you don't come out I can't give you your real present," Shizuru tried to coax the other girl out of the bathroom. Honestly she had saw the uniform on the internet and thought it would be a funny joke. A nice memory to take the pressure off their first Christmas, She didn't think Natsuki would react this badly. She sighed she guessed this meant there was no chance of getting Natsuki to wear it then...

Natsuki wavered. She was mad that Shizuru spoiled their first Christmas but if she went out she would get another gift...the bathroom door opened with a soft click. Natsuki came out her face hard despite Shizuru's beaming smile "this had better be worth it."

"I'll go get it now," Shizuru smiled and retreated into the bedroom and then came back with a box in purple wrapping paper. She gave it to Natsuki who opened it gingerly.

It was a framed sketch of her and her mother. She looked up at Shizuru who was smiling softly at her.

"I had an artist friend of mine do it," her finger trailed along the slightly crooked varnished frame "I made the frame myself," she smiled trying to keep things light as Natsuki's eyes started to water "did you know wood doesn't actually come smooth? You have to sand it yourself, see?" she took out the picture underneath the sketch of her in over alls staring at a piece of wood looking uncharacteristically puzzled.

Natsuki laughed at the image and smiled at her girlfriend "it must have taken you a few hours."

"Hours?!" Shizuru looked affronted "I spent two weeks on that frame!"

Natsuki looked down at the rather simple frame then back into Shizuru's annoyed face and laughed again. Two weeks on that? guess her girlfriend was that perfect. That made her inanely please for some reason. "thank you, Shizuru that was awful...butch of you." she laughed again at Shizuru's affronted look not noticing how it changed into something sly.

"Well Natsuki-chan, you know what they say about butches?" Shizuru leaned over Natsuki who looked startled. "there always on top..." they kissed and kept kissing after they fell from the sofa.

Merry Christmas indeed Natsuki.

XxXx

XxXx

"Why do you think Natsuki and Shizuru are late? Its not like them," Mai frowned at the door keeping an eye out for her friend. "Well, its not like Shizuru anyway..."

"You think they pulled over to the side of the road for a little fun time?" Aoi wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, it would explain Natsuki's change in vehicles," Reito grinned and leaned over to get the bread basket. Since the others were late they had started eating without them.

"Yeah those big back seats do come in handy," Nao grinned as she tried to swipe some of Aoi's fries.

"Back seats? that a bit up scale for you isn't it Nao?" Chie teased the pink haired girl while the others around the table laughed.

"Haha very funny Chie," Nao glanced over Chie's shoulder and her face turned serious "Oh hello Mr Senous."

At the name Chie's face drained of all colour and flinched before turning around to find nothing behind her. Everyone at the table laughed all knowing about Chie's deathly fear of Aoi's father. "Is that right brat?" Chie glared at her before addressing the table "you know the real reason Nao-chan has to cut out on us early?" Nao kicked Chie under the table but that didn't stop the other girl "she has a date with some ER nurse."

Nao flushed at the catcalling coming from her so called friends "She's a doctor not a nurse," she growled at Chie before ignoring the table who were all making aaaww noises.

"Don't listen to them Nao I think its wonderful!" Yukino beamed at Nao across the table making her feel even worse. Seriously the last thing she wanted was for Yukino's blessing but she wouldn't say anything because of the blonde girl at her side. She had more than enough run ins with the mad blonde when she was head of the discipline committee at school and was in no mood for a repeat.

The door to the cafe chimed open and Natsuki stood their flushed and trying her best to hide it. Shizuru stood just behind as serene as ever. Together they walked into the restaurant and took the two seats available just across from Yukino and Haruka.

"Glad to see you guys finally made it," Mai grinned at the couple.

"Well its not as if you waited for us is it?" Natsuki tried to seem grumpy but Shizuru had just taken her hand at that moment so the attempt fell flat.

"If we had we might have had to resort to cannibalism with how long it took you," Nao glared at Natsuki more out of habit than any real ill feelings. Natsuki glared back as well and chucked a bread roll at the pink haired girl.

"Did you hear that Aoi? no one else resorted to cannibalism," Chie whispered to Aoi who grinned back just as cheekily "but Chie I thought you liked it when I eat you?" Chie flushed and they both giggled together.

Reito who had over heard the exchange coughed and turned towards Mai who gave him a puzzled look. He mouthed later and she nodded going back to tease a sullen Natsuki.

"So why were you late?" she asked.

"Car trouble," Natsuki grouched, she really hated that damn thing she had never got so much hassle from her bike. "We had to pull over."

The entire table went quite and everyone avoided looking at each other. Natsuki frowned and glanced around "what?"

No one said anything and then Yukino cracked which set of Mai and the Nao and before everyone knew it the whole table was laughing hard at the puzzled looks on Shizuru and Natsuki's faces.

XxXx

A/N: I would like to apologise for the long wait my course work has kept be busy. Its all about The Color Purple which is a book you either love or hate and sadly I feel on the hate side of the spectrum so it took me longer than usual to motivate myself to write about it.

This is pretty much the last chapter . I wanted to give everyone their happy ever after but also have it be realistic so the only way to do that was not to end it concrete and give the feeling of life goes on.

For taking so long I added a bonus chapter…


	9. In a future far far away

"Ma I'm not sure about this," Hiro whispered to the bush. He was in the Fuuka senior school uniform and despite his hunched posture was very tall. Gangly almost.

"You want to date this girl right?" the bush whispered back furiously

"Yes," he whined.

"Then slouch down open your top buttons and for god sakes ignore her!"

"Okaa-san said never to slouch" he said to the steadily increasing irate bush.

"What would Okaa-san know about getting girls?! And flex your muscles I helped in creating them so you damn well had better show them off!" the bush rustled furiously at her son.

"Shh! here she comes!" Hiro then tried to do everything the bust had told him. He hunched down and while flexing his fore arms and completely ignored the group of girls passing. He was starting to fear he looked constipated and that this wasn't going to work when the bush violently kicked a near by cherry tree causing the blossoms to swirl around him and at just that moment one of the girls looked over at him taking in this picturesque scene.

"Hey Hiro," she said causing the entire clique to turn and face the boy standing surrounded by cheery blossoms.

"Oh hey..." He nodded "...Hitomi right?" he then turned away and ignored the group again. The herd of girls gave tiny squeals as they conferred before pushing the girl Hitomi from the group.

"Hey Hiro remember when you asked if I was busy this Sunday?" She lent over showing of her breasts through her open buttons trying to catch the aloof boys attention.

He would not fall for it! he would not fall for it! He would not look! His Ma had told him about this particular weapon of girls and he knew if he looked he would loose. But it was so tempting..."oh yea I forgot about that, hope you gran feels better..." he ignored her again.

"Er yea about that," the other girl sweat dropped "it seems she made a full recovery since lunch, weird huh? But that means I'm free this Sunday after all!" she smiled cheerily at him.

He glanced side long at the perky school girl and not down her top like he wanted to "that's nice" he said nonchalantly. His Ma also told him not to give in to easily to make her think he was doing her the favour of going out with her.

"Oh," Hitomi seemed to hesitate and then she withdrew to the safety of the group for consoling. He watched alarmed as they walked away. This wasn't supposed to happen! He whirled around to face the bush "she's walking away! I knew I never should have listened to you! I had my chance and blew it!" he started after the girls to beg Hitomi for another chance when the shrubbery reached out and tackled him to the ground.

"Just leave it she'll come back!" bush and boy wrestled together while other students passed by giving them strange looks and a wide berth. The bush barely had time to scramble back into place and kick the tree again before Hitomi did indeed run back. Hiro still spread out on the ground had no place to go if he shot up suddenly it would look very uncool so he laid sprawled out on the path and acted as if this was what he intended to do.

"Hiro-what are you doing down there?" Hitomi asked puzzled.

"I'm lounging," he said in his best monotone voice which he didn't think was very good considering he had been wrestling just a few short moments ago. Please let him look windswept and dangerous instead of scruffy and pathetic!

"Oh well I was wondering if maybe your not busy on Sunday...now that my gran is feeling better..." Hitomi trailed off blushing to embarrassed to go any further especially since the tousled boy stood up and there seemed to be even more cheery blossoms swirling about "...its okay you probably already have a date I'll just go..." she made to leave but the tall boy grabbed her hand stopping her.

At this point the bush had taken to shaking the tree vigorously trying to get the last stubborn cherry blossoms to fall and give her son a heartthrob image.

"I'll meet you in town at 5 don't be late," he gave her a small smile.

"Ah okay!" she said louder than she would have like "thanks!" she bowed and then felt stupid so she ran back to her friend before the other boy realised what he had gotten himself into and tried to cancel. She was so excited!

Hiro waited until he couldn't see Hitomi's retreating figure any more before leaping up and down squealing like a girl. "She said okay! I have a date!"

The bush stood up and Chie in all her camouflage gear hugged her son and together they both jumped up and down squealing "He has a date! He has a date!" they didn't mind the strange looks they were getting probably because they couldn't see past the tears in their eyes.

XxXx

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" Mira ran into the kitchen excitedly her chubby seven year old hands grabbing the apron Aoi wore. "Kanna found a puppy today after school but her parents are allergic to animals so she can't keep it can we?"

Aoi looked down at her little girl who begged her with such adoring eyes. She was so cute with her short brown hair and big brown eyes almost like a puppy herself with such a begging face as she tugged cutely at her apron strings. So innocent. "No."

"Please?" the little girl begged earnestly stretching on her tippy toes to hug Aoi's waist.

"No," as cute as her little girl was and despite how her little begging face would cause even the most cold hearted men to smile at her and get her whatever she wanted she learned it from the best; Aoi herself. "No I told you after the rabbit incident no more animals."

The little girl slammed herself down on her heels. Her big cute eyes narrowed evilly and she stalked away with her nose in the air "Fine! I'll just ask Ma when she gets home!" All innocents had dissolved at the refusal to be replaced by calculated arrogance.

Aoi sighed and rolled her eyes. Was it possible to hate your kids?

Aoi's thoughts of child murder were stopped as the back door opened and her eldest child floated into the kitchen. "I take it went well?"

"It went brilliantly! I have a date this Sunday!" He squealed "with Hitomi the cutest girl in my year!"

"He did brilliantly! the whole pretending to forget her name? Genius!" Chie clapped her son on the back taking off her foliage and setting it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs "I always knew you were my son!"

"Thanks Ma," he said shyly both of them beaming with pride "but I'll never be as good as you were in school, I can't even get our Student Council President to remember my name let alone write me love notes!"

"Heh heh well you know," Chie rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly at Aoi's raised eyebrows "I thought I told you not to talk about that in front of your mother?"

"Its okay! she was there!" he continued oblivious to her Ma's impending doom "wasn't Okaa-san the one that rescued you from those screaming mob of girls after one of your gigs?"

"Yeah, yea she was," though Chie now wondered who was going to save her now "hey do you know what your going to wear on Sunday?" she tried to get her son to stop causing her trouble.

"Oh My God your right!" he squealed dashing from the kitchen to his bedroom "Its Friday I only have two days to prepare!" he must be taking the stairs two at a time Chie judged by the thumps "what will I where?!"

"Love letters? Gigs?" Aoi asked slowly placing the mixing bowel down on the counter with deliberate threat.

"Well kids they say the darndest things" Chie chuckled nervously ready to run.

"You know," Aoi said moving closer to Chie "I always wanted to make love to a rock star..."

Chie quickly sensing that her death was not imminent smiled lasciviously "Oh baby you know I only sing for you"

"Hhhmm you better I'm not sharing my wife with Fujino-sama," their kiss was somewhat sloppy as they were both laughing.

"Eeeewwww, not in the place where I eat!" both women broke apart to see Tanki in the doorway Mira in his arms.

"Aoi why is the least liked Senous here?" Chie asked never taking her eyes off the grinning man.

"Actually Chie-Chie-chan your the least liked Senous now release my sister so I can have my dinner sometime this centaury" Tanki placed his niece on the ground and pulled up a chair uncaring that the woman with grease paint was glaring at him.

"Didn't I throw you out last week?" Chie said as she gave up and settled at the top of the table.

"Yes you did and it really made me remember the days when you were afraid to look us in the eye," Tanki said as he reached for a bread roll.

"Stop or you'll spoil your dinner," Aoi slapped the roll out of her brothers hand as placed the salad bowel in the middle of the table "deserts going to be late tonight work kept me longer than I expected."

Tanki was going to complain but Chie's glare stopped him. Mira appeared at Chie's side distracting her from wishing death or at least a severe case of herpes on her brother in law.

"Ma, Kanna found a puppy today after school but her parents are allergic to animals so she can't keep it, can we?" Mira asked making sure her big eyes were gleaming slightly from unshed tears.

Chie patted her daughter on her head and smiled lovingly at her "of course we can sweet heart."

"Whoa your letting that kid near animals after what she did to the rabbit?" Tanki asked shocked. He had investigated crime scenes that had been nicer than what happened to Mr Fluffy.

"That was an accident!" the child snapped at her ex favourite uncle before going back to cute and innocent.

"Oh yeah, I'm not sure that's a good idea actually," Chie wavered, what happened to Mr Fluffy had been awful but her little girl had grown up since then and it would make her so happy. Every child should have a dog right?

"I told you before Mira that your not getting the dog," Aoi set a pile of plates in the middle of the table and glared at her daughter. Honestly the little girl had Chie wrapped tighter around her finger than she did! Chie was far to soft on the girl.

Chie and Tanki both watched as identical pair of eyes stared stubbornly at each other. A few minutes of tense silence followed before Mira looked away huffily and Aoi went back to serving dinner.

"Honestly if that's what she's like at seven your screwed when she becomes a teenager," Tanki said gleefully. He couldn't wait, it would be like world war three!

"Its because they're so alike," Chie said rubbing the pouting Mira's head "go get your brother for dinner."

"Yes Ma," she hugged Chie's waist "i love you way more than Okaa-san!" she glared at Aoi who rolled her eyes and then flounced out to get her brother. Chie sweat dropped, when Mira became a teenager she was moving out. She glared at Tanki who was laughing as he set out the plates.

Mid way through dinner Tanki once again started to laugh. Chie looked up from talking with Mira who still wasn't talking to Aoi and asked much to her folly "what's so funny?"

"Do you know what everyone around this table has in common?" He asked with a devilish smile.

Before Aoi or Chie could stop him Hiro innocently asked "what?"

"Everyone here has been inside of Chie!" He hollered thumping his fist on the table not noticing the horrified faces of the tables other occupants.

"OW!" Tanki landed hard in the dirt outside the house Chie holding the door closed with one hand as Aoi on the other side was making a furious bid to whittle down the number of brothers she had.

"And your lucky I don't let Aoi at you!" she glared.

"You dykes just can't take a joke!" He whined rubbing his bruised elbow.

"Is that right?" Chie left go of the door handle and Aoi burst out of the house the a deranged animal. Tanki's eyes went wide as he scrambled from the dirt down the street Aoi hot on his heels with the Curtain rail she had ripped from the kitchen.

"In vitro insemination doesn't count you perv!" Aoi shouted smacking her brother with the curtain rail.

"Ow! Aoi I'm sorry! It was only a joke!" he called over his shoulder as he duck to avoid the next swing.

"Its not funny!"

"Ma, how long do you think they'll be out there?" Hiro asked.

Chie shrugged "until she catches him, come on inside we can warn uncle Kenji that uncle Tanki will be staying with him again."

"Okay," they turned to enter "what do you think I should wear to my date?"

XxXx

Haruko flung himself to the ground as an object whirled passed his head at a frightening speed. The helmet he had on tumbled off his tousled blond head and his big glasses went crooked. Where was his mummy?

"Come on Champ, get up!" the harsh voice called from in front of him.

He reluctantly did so picking up his helmet and putting it back on. He straightened his glasses and resignedly took the bat again.

"Okay here's a fast ball!"

He once again hit the dirt as a ball even faster than the one before flew at him. He really wanted his mummy.

"Hit the ball not the ground idiot!" yelled an aggressive man from the stands.

"Don't call him an idiot dad!" the other voice yelled back and before they could get into a shouting match and embarrass him even more Haruko got up again. He hated baseball. But his mother had got off work early to practice with him and his grand father had hired out the stadium so he had to play. "There see? He's up! That's my boy!"

He smiled weakly at his mother who beamed back at him. He really wanted his mummy...

"I'll tell you what he can do!" yelled his grandfather from the stands and then scrambled over the wire fence onto the pitch like a much younger man, though why he didn't just use the door which was closer Haruko didn't know. "He can practice his running!"

Haruka wanted to sigh but knew that his mother and grand father would take it as stroppyness. He didn't even get time to wallow in self pity about having such weird relatives as his grand father crumpled up his news paper and started to swat him with it.

"Run! Run! You little yellow bellied coward!"

He ran as fast as his short little legs could carry him every now and again getting swatted by his grandfather that was getting yelled at by his mother to stop hitting him. He heard a commotion over the yelling and turned to see a man running away from a knocked down old lady with her bag. He pointed this needlessly to his mother who already had seen this and took off running his grand father hot on her heels still waving the crumpled up news paper.

"Stop! In the name of the law!"

"Oi! You, young lad! Stop or my daughters going to clobber you!"

Haruko shook his head watching as his mother soon caught up to the mugger who at this stage looked both frightened and confused. He watch as his mother tackled the man to the ground pinning him and putting her hand cuffs on him. His grandfather was helpfully swatting the young man on the head and lecturing him loudly about being nice to frail old people. His mother returned the bag safely and lifted the bewildered but thankful old woman back onto her feet then dusted her down rather hard.

When he said his mother got off early from work he didn't really mean it. This sadly wasn't the first time she had stopped everything to go chase a criminal, the scariest time by far was when she had seen a litter violation and had climbed down the ferias wheel leaving him alone at the top. His mother never really got of work...

"Hello there young man," A nice smiling guy with a long trench coat on started to talk to him "I lost my puppy in those bushes over there could you help me find him?" he knelt down so they were at eye level and Haruko almost felt sorry for the perv "I can give you sweeties?" the old man wheedled. Haruko wearily raised his hand and pointed turning his face away as from out of no where a big angry blonde tackled the perv and another set of hand cuff were produced.

His mother was doing over time...

"Get that nasty flasher daughter!" yelled his grandfather holding onto the mugger with one hand and waving his paper with the other.

The beat up perv joined the mugger on the pitch at the sidelines cheering him on as he dove in the dirt trying to avoid being hit by his mothers 'nice' and 'easy' balls. Both men were warned about running away and both didn't want to have matching lumps from their first and last escape attempt.

He really wanted his mummy...

It was just after a woman with unpaid parking tickets joined the mugger and perv that his prayers where answered. Striding purposely across the park to the pitch was a stern woman in a business suit. He dropped his little bat and ran to her at such a speed that his grandfather was slightly impressed.

His mummy picked him up and he buried his face in her neck so he could get away from his mother.

"Haruka! Haruna-sama! I told you Haruko doesn't like baseball!" Yukino glared at the two blondes as her son clutched her suit. Her eyes took in the two hand cuffed men and the woman who was restrained by a belt due to Haruka having nothing else to bind her with "did you leave him alone again to catch those?" her chin jutted towards the guiltily looking trio.

"No! Only when I was catching the mugger! He caught the perv and Dad was with him when I got the lady for unpaid parking tickets!" Haruka defended herself urgently knowing that if she didn't placate Yukino right now she would be sleeping on the sofa.

"Perv?!" Yukino's vein throbbed at her wife who seemed to have lost all colour in her face. Haruka knew she was in trouble now. "Call for the patrol car to pick these people up and then meet me in the car." Yukino's voice was very quite and controlled. Which meant that Haruka was in deep deep dodo.

"Ho Ho your in troubbbble!" Haruna laughed pointing at his only child.

"Shut up dad!" Haruka grouched as she retrieved her jacket to get her radio to call the station. "Remember Yukino's your vice-president if she's mad at me just think of what she'll do to you for cutting out on the meeting she planned for today."

Haruna went pale then moaned "she's going to bury me in paper work!"

"Ha!" Haruka called victoriously hand over the radio "yeah their at the park besides the baseball pitch." she put the radio away and then knocked out the mugger and the perv she glared down at the woman with unpaid parking tickets "do I have to knock you out as well?"

"No!" the woman gulped shaking her head furiously.

"Good then stay here and wait for the police car." Haruka walked away trusting her reputation as a crazy bitch cop would hold the woman there. It had for everyone else she did this on.

"Haha you are so whipped!" Her father laughed walking beside her "actually running to do what your wife says!" he made the universal whipping noise that butch partners everywhere hated with a passion.

She glared at her father "I'm going to enrol Haruko in ballet if you keep that up!" she threatened.

"No you wont," her father said confidently "Yukino says he's joining swimming with Fujino's grand-brat."

"It could happen," Haruka muttered then said louder "and its not as if I'm the only one afraid of Yukino. Your the one that shelled out all that money to those endangered panda's when Yukino was pregnant!"

"Have you ever had to deal with a hormonal vice-president?" Haruna shuddered "its scary. Boy was I glad when you told me Haruna would be an only child."

The last bit was lost on his daughter as Haruka had that dreamy expression on her face again. His daughter was such a sap. Yukino looked beautiful when she was pregnant, scary as hell with those mood swings but so beautiful. It almost made Haruka want another baby except Yukino was scary as hell...

Her and her father parted ways at Yukino's black BMW. Her wife sat in the drivers seat face like thunder. Yukino was also scary as hell when she's not pregnant. Haruka resignedly got into the car. Haruko was already fast asleep in the back. Without a word Yukino started the engine and drove away from the park.

"Why did you do that to him Haruka?" Yukino's voice wasn't as rage filled as she imagined it would be instead it was sad.

"The swim team Yukino that's like the whippiest sport ever! why don't you just sign him up for golf or bowling?" Haruka whined keeping her voice low.

"He likes swimming Haruka! its his choice." Yukino hissed back.

"Oh damn its just I had all these ideas of having a macho son," Haruka looked out the window "someone who would go to Karate tournaments with me and who would follow in my footsteps."

Yukino's voice softened "he could still do that Haruka he's only nine."

"Yeah but I think he's gay" Haruka grabbed onto the dash board as Yukino swerved the car in surprise. Haruko was oblivious to the sudden motion and resulting honking.

"Haruka he's only nine you don't even start thinking about that until your a teenager!" Yukino said angrily "and so what if he is a lot of gay men are cops!"

Haruka looked at Yukino pityingly "honey he's a better sewer than me, he's terrible at sports, when he talks its in this high pitched voice and he has the gay gene." This was her last chance to straighten out her son and she seemed to have failed.

"Haruka there was so many things wrong with that statement," Yukino said in disbelief.

"I blame you, you know, always cuddling the boy," Haruka placed her ankle on her knee and slouched forward stretching the seatbelt to its max. "All's he ever says is 'mummy this' and 'mummy that'."

And then it clicked in Yukino's head. She started to laugh softly and took the chance at stopping at a red light to lean over and kiss Haruka's cheek. Haruka looked put out by Yukino's laughing and demanded to know what was so funny. "You, your so funny," Yukino smiled "you don't like the fact he runs to me instead of you."

"What that's not it!" Haruka said harshly but the blush on her cheeks said otherwise.

"Your jealous. Haruka he loves you so much! Your the only person who cant see it," Yukino smiled affectionately at the blonde "do you think he would stay so long at the park if he didn't want to spend time with you? He's your son Haruka he would have walked away or gone home if it bothered him that much."

Haruka didn't interrupt but she did seem to be listening.

"He watches the news every night just to see if your on it, what other nine year old does that?" Yukino giggled because it was very funny to her. Haruko hero worshipped his mother so much that he could barley speak in front of her in fear of saying something that would lessen him in her eyes. It didn't matter how many times Yukino told him that would never happen that his mother loved him very much and always would he still barely spoke a word in her presence. Now she finds out Haruka's doing almost the same thing trying to win the boy over...it was just funny.

"When he comes home from school who does he show his tests to first?" Yukino asked

"...Me." said Haruka still not quite convinced.

"Who does he get to check his home work?"

"Me."

"And who does he drag to his teacher meetings?"

"ME!"

"sSshhh," Yukino glance furiously at the back seat but her son was still sleeping. You would have to be a heavy sleeper when one of your mummies could break the sound barrier without any real effort.

"Oh sorry!" Haruka whispered double checking her son. "So he really does like me?" she asked and when Yukino nodded she looked extremely please with herself.

"Guess who likes you even more?" Yukino said as the security guard opened the gates to their home.

Haruka grinned as Yukino parked the car and unbuckled her seat belt and slid across to straddle her wife. "It better be you," she said before kissing her wife. Damn business suits were a pain to get off. The car door slamming alerted them to the fact they were now completely alone in the car.

"Oops," Haruka said noticing their son had made his escape.

"Move you in the way of the tinted screens," Yukino nudged Haruka to the side and pressed a button. There was a whirling noise as black screens rose to cover the windows. It wasn't the first time Yukino had fooled around with Haruka in her BMW. The first time Haruka's dad had caught them and they ended up married two days later. Good times.

XxXx

The door to the Fujino residence slammed shut violently shaking the house to its foundations. Further bangs followed as a teenager through her bag against the wall and stomped up to her room and violently slamming that door as well.

Shizuru looked up from reading the business section of the news paper. Natsuki stubbornly kept her head down and continued concentrating on fixing the small engine in her lap. Shizuru continued to stare at her and the longer she did the more Natsuki seemed to fidget.

"Aren't you going to go see what's wrong?" Shizuru asked finally.

"No if she wanted to talk about it she would have came and asked to talk to you," Natsuki still concentrated on the device in her lap aware that if she did look Shizuru in the eye she would find herself outside her eldest daughters room about to have a heartfelt talk. She hated those. It was unfortunate for her that her kids had inherited Shizuru's need to express and talk about their feelings.

"Yes but if she wanted to get your attention she would stomp and bang about like you do when your upset," Shizuru pointed out placing her paper down on the table.

"I promised Saeko I would fix this for her," Natsuki furrowed her brow as she came to a rather stubborn nut.

"Okay if you think that's best," Shizuru took up her paper again and knew it was only a matter of time before Natsuki stomped up the stairs.

Natsuki silently fumed. She could feel Shizuru's passive aggressiveness poking at her. It also didn't help that her own curiosity and guilt were also preying on her. What sort of parent was she if she let her child suffer and not try to help? She growled and continued to fix the motor, she was not going up those stairs, she would not give Shizuru the satisfaction! she fidgeted with the engine for another few moments getting no further and actually making more mistakes. She slammed the engine down on the table and declared as if it was entirely her own idea because it was "I'll go see what's bothering her!"

Shizuru was glad that the newspaper hid her smile as she turned the page. Natsuki stomped of up the stairs and a few moments later Saeko peeked into the room. Saeko looked the most like her with her wavy blond hair and they had the same sharp features and face. The difference though was she had blue eyes, Shizuru had no idea where they came from.

"Is Natsuki-mama going to check on Natsumi?" she asked using both hands to pull out a kitchen chair.

Shizuru nodded still paying more attention to her paper. When Saeko didn't leave right after and continued to hover Shizuru became aware that she might have to endure her own emotional talk. She slowly folded up her newspaper, well at least she like these talks, just not when she was trying to read the business section. "Yes Saeko?"

Saeko continued to fidget and avoid her eye something both her children had learned from Natsuki "I don't want to do flower arranging anymore..." she said quickly hoping to get it all out in one go "I want to take swimming instead!"

"Oh, okay," she was a little disappointed but didn't mind much if Saeko was happy with it "may I ask why?"

"Haruko is taking swimming," Saeko blushed and studied the far wall. Saeko could blush just as well as Natsuki.

"Ara," she smiled amused and Saeko glared at her though it had a long way to go before it was as intimidating as either of her mothers "lets just not tell Natsuki-mama why you changed okay?"

Saeko nodded frantically "she would really hurt Haruko if she found out I like him! She was really mean to Shinji-san,"

Shizuru's smile froze. She never like Natsumi's ex boyfriend anymore than Natsuki did but she was a little sneakier in her monitoring of the two. She was glad when they broke up but Natsuki was spitting at the thought of some boy rejecting her daughter. The result wasn't pretty.

"Besides I don't like he likes me that way he barely talks!" Saeko complained "if it wasn't for his blonde hair and deep blue eyes and adorable glass, I don't know why I would like him!"

Shizuru just laughed and picked up her paper. She used to pick her partners based on looks as well but Saeko had a lot more growing to do before she learned that they weren't everything.

XxXx

Natsuki stood outside her daughters door she was debating where or not to knock or just pretend she did and go back down to the safety of the kitchen. Though she suspected Shizuru would somehow know if she did. Resignedly she knocked and walked in when the answer didn't come right away.

"Jeeze what's the point of knocking if your not going to wait for an answer!?" her eldest shouted at her turning away so she could wipe at her eyes.

"I only knock because your other mother makes me now what's wrong?" Natsuki growled sounding harsher than she meant because she was uncomfortable.

"Nothing..." Natsumi sniffed and turned away from her.

"Okay then," she had tried. She was making her way to the door relieved when Natsumi spun back round to face her, her short blue hair swinging with the motion.

"How do you know if someone likes you?" Natsumi asked urgently well aware of her mothers escape attempt.

Oh it was one of _those _talks Natsuki really hated those talks "well er they tell you?" she answered unsurely.

"Not all the time, how did you know Shizuru-mama liked you?" Natsumi asked chewing the ends of her short blue hair thoughtfully.

Shizuru-mama felt me up in my sleep then destroyed a whole district of people that I didn't like and talked me out of crushing a flower, Natsuki somehow didn't think that was appropriate or even believable because who would believed their mother was really a princess? "she told me. I was always a bit dense when it came to that sort of stuff. Even when she told me I didn't get it fully I thought she meant she loved me as a friend."

"Oh, well how did you tell her you liked her?" Natsumi asked brow furrowed.

Kissed her in the Perfect World then destroyed said Perfect World and then told her in a hospital bed after a near death experience. She didn't think she could tell her daughter that either. "I kissed her," there that was safe enough.

"But how can you know if someone likes you without them suspecting that you think they like you?" Natsumi asked seriously. Natsuki felt a headache coming on. She eventually gave up her hope of escaping and crossed fully into the room to sit beside her daughter.

"Okay who is it that you think likes you?" that would be easier.

"Er am," Natsumi looked uncomfortable and Natsuki thought good at least she's not the only one "well you see I think Mina likes me the way you like Shizuru-mama."

"Mina as in the girl I let up into your room?" Natsuki was now going over every opinion she had of the blonde from her unfaulted politeness and easy smile to her helpful nature and pleasant outlook. She knew there was something she didn't like about the girl.

"She's not like that!" Natsumi glared at her "its not as if she leers at me in PE or swimming!"

"You take swimming with this girl?!" Natsuki demanded.

"Gah! If I'd have known you would be like this I would have talked to Shizuru-mama!" Natsumi said just as hotly "Mina's really nice and kind and would never treat me badly! She's funny and smart and gorgeous, she probably doesn't even like me that way anyway! She has the Student Council President after her! She would never want to go out with me instead." Natsumi's eyes burned with rage and to Natsuki's shock something that she was way to young for. That she would always be to young for in Natsuki's eyes.

They were both quiet for a while before Natsuki said "guess I don't have to ask if you like her back."

Natsumi flushed and coughed awkwardly "I guess you don't."

"Cake," Natsuki said randomly or so it seemed to Natsumi "I always know your mother loves me when she gives me her last bit of cake, especially if its that double chocolate fudge with vanilla ice cream," both girls stopped to indulge in the beautiful image of the cake before coughing and looking away from each other.

"So I should take her to a cake shop?" Natsumi asked tentatively.

"No," Natsuki said firmly "your way to young. If I catch you near a cake shop with Mina or anyone else I'll confiscate your mountain bike."

"Mama!" Natsuki cried nudging Natsuki but she was serious.

They sat in awkward silence again Natsuki wondering if she was finally free to go when Natsumi spoke up trying to fill the void "there's something wrong with the breaks on my bike."

"Oh I'll take a look at that," Natsuki nodded and silence resumed.

"You know you can leave now," Natsumi took pity on her mother. Natsuki shot to her feet and headed towards the door without another word "Mama!" Natsuki stopped and looked back. "Thanks. I love you."

"I love you to kid," she shut the door behind her. "I mean it, no cake shops for you!"

XxXx

Haruka marched into the school and straight to the waiting area of the principles office she would have continued straight in but noticed someone else in the waiting room. "Ha delinquent what are you doing here?!"

Natsuki got up from the chair she had been waiting in "I got a phone call Saeko seems to be in trouble because of your little brat!"

"My brat?! Your the delinquent if anyone got anyone else in trouble it would be you and your snot kid!" Haruka thundered at Natsuki who on hearing the insult to her youngest daughter puffed herself up.

The combined screaming of the two adults alerted the principle to their presence outside her door. She wearily took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Some days she wished she had listened to her father and became a lawyer.

"Yukino-san nice to see you outside the office," Shizuru smiled as the smaller woman finally joined them.

"Likewise Shizuru-san, parking's a nightmare outside," they both embraced.

"Don't hug the enemy Yukino!" Haruna yelled waving his arms.

"Suzushiro-sama a pleasure as always," Shizuru bowed Natsumi following suit. Natsuki and Haruka were still screaming in the background.

"Hmph how's your father still burning in hell?" Haruna asked Yukino didn't even bother to look embarrassed to used to the other man.

"Yes my father is still in California," Shizuru smiled pleasantly "he just bought an airline there. He was asking about you just the other day."

Haruna's response was caught of as the door to the principles office swung open and Haruko and Saeko both came out. Haruko had his arm around the smaller girl who looked close to tears. At the sight of both sets of parents he hastily removed it and blushingly put as much space between the two as possible.

"Haruko what happened?" Yukino asked going to her son.

"Yeah what did that boy do to you Saeko?" Natsuki asked glaring at Haruko.

Haruko took one look at his mother and wouldn't answer. Haruka looked like she was about to spit nails and wishing she could arrest everyone in the room. There was no way he was going to tell her what happened. Instead he looked at the floor his foot dragging back and forth on the carpet avoiding his mummy's eyes.

Natsuki took her daughter in her arms to comfort her still glaring at Haruko "its okay sweetie you won't have to see that boy again, I'll make sure of it."

"Like I would want my kid anywhere near yours, convict!" Haruka snapped taking Haruko's hand. Just before Yukino could tell them both to shut up Saeko spoke up.

"I don't want to stay away from Haruko!" she cried wiggling until she escaped Natsuki. As soon as her feet touched the floor she made her way to Haruna's side gripping his slightly larger hand with hers. "It was Ichigos fault he's the one that pulled my hair!"

All the parents looked at the children.

"Tell us what happened Saeko," Shizuru said softly to her panicking daughter.

"Ichigo pulled my hair and-" she broke off as Haruko tugged her arm, the two children stared at each other having a conversation that the adults were not invited to "you have to promise you won't get angry at Haruko!" she said her face becoming red in her seriousness.

"Of course we won't get mad at Haruko," Haruka said glaring as Natsuki muttered something she couldn't hear.

"He wouldn't let go of me so Haruko made him! He rescued me!" Saeko spoke her tone full of worship. Haruko flushed and still wouldn't look up from the ground, his mother was going to kill him for helping a Fujino.

"Be that as it may we don't allow fighting in this school," the principle had finally decide the coast was clear to leave her office "and Haruko making the other boy let go of your hair does not make him breaking the other boys arm acceptable."

"You broke his arm?!" Yukino said abashed.

"Don't treat girls like that," Haruko whispered saying his first words since leaving the office. He was not going to look his mother in the eye.

"Well he was just right!" Haruka smacked the boy on the back prideful. Haruko looked up shocked to see his mother beaming down at him. He tentatively returned the smile.

"What?!" the principle said shocked.

"Yea the boy did right, any man that hurts a woman need a good seeing too!" said Haruna nodding "its fair and square!"

"Who's this Ichigo kid?!" demanded Natsuki.

"I do hope you will give that boy a talking to about bullying girls," Shizuru said to the principle who was starting to regret coming out of her office.

"O-of course bu-" The principle tried to say.

"Good then we will be on our way and I hope a repeat of this will never happen again," Shizuru turned to leave the others following her leaving a very bewildered principle behind.

At the car park Saeko released Haruko's hand only after much cajoling from her parents "you have to come to my house tomorrow to play!" she said to Haruko who was looking rather lost.

"Am, we have swimming remember?" he said tentatively to the excited girl.

"Oh yeah, well you can come the next day then and I'll even share my cookies with you!" Saeko declared hugging her bestest friend in the world goodbye.

"Okay," he smiled because Saeko's mama made the best cookies around and she rarely shared.

"Oh great their becoming good friends," Haruka sulked and Nasuki found herself nodding also disgusted.

"Friends?! Ha! that little girl is on the pull!" Haruna declared on his way past "Fujino taught that one young! She's reeling in her man!"

It was hard to say who looked more horrified Natsuki or Haruka. It was even harder to say who looked more amused with their spouses Yukino or Shizuru.

"There is no way my little girl is marrying into your family Suzushiro!" Natsuki scooped up her child and started walking to her car.

"Like my son would even want to marry your daughter, Delinquent!" Haruka lifted her own child and started towards her own car.

"Yukino-san," Shizuru bowed.

"Shizuru-san," Yukino bowed.

They both separated and went after their families.

XxXx

Nao stopped at the red light and watched as a young woman stumbled across the road her short skirt wrinkled and bunched up indecently. The way she swayed and glared against the dim light of the afternoon told Nao that she had had a really fun night. That use to be her. Partying all night having wild one night stands and then crawling back to her room praying that someone would end her misery or at least kill the marching band in her head. Good times.

How had it come to this?

She was driving a people carrier her oldest son age 9 in the front seat and her two other little boys 7 and 5 in the back. The eldest were kitted out in football uniforms and the youngest was complaining madly about not being old enough to join the team. She used to be a party queen staying up at all hours climbing into and out of bed with a different man or woman, depending on her fancy, each night. Now she was married to Rei who was pregnant with their fourth child, they were hoping for a girl this time.

She eyed the big pic nic basket set between her two boys with something like disgust. She had been up since half seven making sandwiches and healthy snacks for the team. It was her turn, all the parents had made a roster. It was hard to believe she actually follows a roster now. She even goes to parents meetings and gushes over the crapy gifts her children bring her back from school. She was even a stay at home wife...

How had her life turned into a sitcom from the 50s?

The lights changed just as the young woman managed to make it to the other side of the road. She lurched there for an alarming second and threatened to fall backwards into the traffic. At the last moment she dove forwards to throw up leaning heavily against the unlit street light. Nao remembered that too...

Guess she was lucky.

When had she grown up?

The bickering in the car got louder but since the kids had learned to talk that had become the sound track of her life so it didn't overly annoy her. She parked in the designated area for parents and turned to look in the back. Her boys realising that she was no longer driving and could therefore concentrate on shouting at them stopped bickering at once to smile angelically at her.

"Jinto take the basket for your brother and go sit in the stands," she snorted at Jinto's salute. He got his bad comedy from his other mother "don't wonder away I mean it, I have to make a phone call so I'll be there in a little bit." she glared at them just to make sure they understood disobeying would involve sever consequences. All three nodded and left the car.

She reached down and picked up the car phone making sure to keep her kids in sight at all times, and dialled. The phone picked up on its third ring.

"Hey baby you caught me on a light shift, how are the boys?" Rei's voice carried cheerfully through the phone. When they had just been friend the endless cheer of the doctor had annoyed her no end but after 12 years together and three kids it was one of the things Nao loved most about her.

"The boys are great, its me that has the problem," she said down the phone unbuckling her seat belt.

"Problem? Honey what's wrong?" the concern in Reis voice made her smile. There was only room for one high strung woman in their relationship and Nao claimed the monopoly on that role a long time ago.

"I've just realised how boorish my life has become so I thought some after phone sex would living it up," She waved at the Yamada family and gestured for them to go on ahead.

"Phone sex hhmm? Does that mean I get paid for this?" Rei easily swung from concerned to teasing.

"I have double chocolate fudge ice cream in the house," Nao coaxed undoing the top button of her jeans.

"Ooh in that case, what are you wearing?" Rei said in her best sexy voice down the phone. They were both struggling not to laugh.

Nao was just about to reach orgasm when she had to stop due to the Mr Nanaka heading towards her car. He was the self appointed morality monitor and all around nosey bastard. The last thing Nao needed was for him to catch her with her hands down her pants in front of a preteen football pitch. He already thought she was perverted enough.

"Sorry love got to go Snoopy is on his way over," Nao said as she buttoned up her jeans.

"Damn that Snoopy I was going to start in with the paddle and call you my filthy slut," Rei said listening as her wife went into fits of uncontrollable laughter "I'm adding a back rub to the payment you have one heavy assed daughter."

Nao laughed again "no problem but you don't actually think that ice creams for eating do you?" she waited until Rei got her meaning all the while Mr Nanaka was creeping closer. "No I really have to go now. Love you."

"Love," Rei yawned placing her hand over her swollen belly "you to. Make sure Jinto doesn't injure anyone again, it doesn't matter that's its the way you play, Nao, they're only kids!"

"Will do, bye," she hung up and got out of the car locking it after slamming the door "right you, you nosey bastard what the hell do you want?" She glared at the startled little man. Well no one ever really grew up completely.

XxXx

Maki shot through the door like a rocket and straight into his mothers arms. He was hyped up on sugar and bouncing in a way that could only be achieved by a six year old on a candy high. This alone made Reito worry. They had always been careful what they fed their children especially since they all seemed to take more after his sister than him.

"MISSION ACCOMPLISED!" he yelled making Mai wince.

Though Reito noticed that she was smiling in a very self satisfied way. His worry grew. He had come home early from work hoping to have a nice quite day with his loving family. Why did he ask for so much?

"What mission?" he asked wondering if he really wanted to know the answer as Mai seemed to try and casually wave the question away.

"Oh nothing important, now would you like carrots or peas with your dinner?" Mai turned to walk into the kitchen seeming to ignore him.

His eyebrows scrunched together. Something was wrong "peas please, now what mission?" he repeated.

"Nothing don't worry about it," Mai said as she reached up to take out a tin of peas. But Mai made a colossal error. She had sat Maki down as she reached for the peas and his son had always been easy to bribe. That was the reason he stopped taking him on his shopping trips because he always reported back to Mai what it was he bought her for her birthday or Christmas or just because he loved her. Bribery was a two way street he thought narrowing his eyes at his wife's back.

He caught Maki's eye and jerked his head towards the hall. Maki stood a minute confused and Reito rolled his eyes. His kid wasn't the brightest bulb in the box. He walked out into the hall and waved for Maki to follow him. He glanced at Mai's back fearful that she would turn around and spoil his attempts at espionage. Eventually Maki got his message and followed him out into the hall. Reito searched his pockets for a bribe. Damn he ate his last chocolate bar in the car on the way home!

"I'll give you 100 yen to tell me the mission plan," he whispered all the while keeping watch encase Mai caught on to her grievous error.

"Nu uh," Maki shook his head unimpressed by the offer. This was more due to the fact he didn't really know what number came after 50 than any loyalty he felt towards his mother.

"Okay," he cast around in his memory trying to think of something his son wanted "I'll buy you that little sports car toy you've been looking at every time we go shopping?" The to was only twenty yen but he refused to get him the car on the grounds that there were to many of the little death traps floating around the house.

His sons eyes widened and he nodded frantically up and down. Reito was a little disappointed in his sons bargaining skills but reminded himself that he shouldn't expect that much from a six year old. "She gave me lots of chocolate and then told uncle Takumi and Auntie Akira to take me out for ice cream!" Maki spilled eager to get his toy.

Reito closed his eyes and shook his head. Before marring Mai he would never have thought she could even think of cruelty but when she became his wife it became obvious she had a mean streak a mile wide in her. Usually she confined this to some very pleasurable evenings in the bedroom but now it seemed to have leaked out. He ruffled Maki's short brown hair and moved into the kitchen.

"Dad, when I'm I getting the car?" Maki begged.

"Next time we go shopping so you better tidy your room up for it 'Kay?" he didn't even finished his sentenced before Maki whizzed off to clean his room. He was going to be one tired kid tonight.

"That was mean what you did to poor Takumi."

Mai turned around puzzled and then she spotted or failed to spot Maki and she tutted "so you found out then? Little traitor."

"Takumi and Akira are trying to do the responsible thing and see what having children is like before stumbling into it like we did," he chided gently "after forcing a sugar rushed six year old on them they might never want to start a family."

"You think so?" Mai asked hopefully.

"Mai, you have to give Akira a chance, Takumi's serous about her they've even been together longer than we have." His wife was just so over protective of her little brother. He wouldn't be surprised if Takumi was still a virgin.

"I know but Akira just isn't right for him. She keeps pressuring him into things and he's just to nice to say no!" Mai's eyes flashed and he realised that he would get no sense out of her tonight. He sighed and kissed her throbbing fore head "what time will dinner be ready at?"

"Six" Mai said turning away from him "...I'm sorry its just Takumi needs me to look after him..." she turned back to her husband he nodded.

"I know you feel you need to protect him," he left it at that because Mai needed to realise on her own that she was doing Takumi more harm than good by interfering in his relationship. She would get there eventually it would just take awhile. Maki got his slowness from her. "Besides," he added more cheerfully picking up his paper to go read in the living room "its your night to put the little monster to bed and he's all hyped up on sugar."

He watched in satisfaction as Mai's eyes widened in panic. He quickly escaped before she could rope him into taking care of their son. Mai was no Shizuru when it came to elaborate plans.

"Reito sweetie," Mai called in her sweetest sexist voice seeming to promise him unspeakable pleasures should he do one tiny little favour for her.

He just grinned and closed the bathroom door in her alluring face. Something's just weren't worth the price.

XxXx


End file.
